Troubled Waters
by Obsessed4
Summary: Almost finished! DMHr. A new course is added at Hogwarts. Will it bring them closer, or break them apart? Plus, a new teacher brings humor, and something else, to Snape's life.
1. The New Teacher

Disclaimer: I don't own HP! JK Rowling does! I'm but a weird chic who's best friends are pieces of paper and a pen... 

AN: As some of you know, I completely screwed up and accidently replaced this chapter, so now I've put it back to how it should be. I probably should have used that chance to edit it a little... But oh well...

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It was the first day back at Hogwarts. Everyone was filing into the Great Hall for the Sorting.

"I wonder who they've got for us for DADA this year," Ron said as they made their way for the Gryffindor table. "I hope it's a female," Hermione said. "So far, all of our DADA teachers have been male."

"I don't really care, as long as he or she doesn't work for Voldemort and nothing's wrong with them," Harry said, craning his neck, trying to see their new teacher.

"Your neck won't hurt so much afterwards if you wait until we sit down to look," Hermione told him. Harry sheepishly stopped looking up at the High Table.

When they finally reached the Gryffindor Table, they sat down, Harry and Ron on one side with Hermione across from them. Right after they sat down, the twins sat by Ron, who groaned and looked away from them.

His gaze fell uponthe High Table, where he saw the new DADA teacher.

His mouth dropped open. "SHAYLEE!" "What?" Harry and Hermione looked up. Occupating the DADA professor's spot was a tall, redheaded girl with freckleswith her hat on lopsided.

While his two friends looked at him, bewildered, Ron was getting Fred, George, and Ginny (who had just sat down by Hermione) to look up at the High Table.

Fred and George's mouths also dropped open and a mischievous look came into their eyes. Ginny squealed and jumped up to wave.

The new professor laughed and waved back, winking at Fred and George, who grinned and gave each other high fives.

"Erm..." Harry and Hermione looked to Rom for an explanation. He opened his mouth to explain, but he was interrupted by McGonagall coming in, the First Years behind her.

The First Yearsall stared at the hat, confused and jumped when it broke into a song;

_There once were four great wizards, _

perhaps the greatest known

Slytherin, the choosiest of them all,

always liked them like his own.

Ravenclaw, the wisest one,

chose cleverness and sport.

While Hufflepuff, the kind old chap,

the workers were hers to sort.

And last, there is Gryffindor.

But certainly not the least...

His bravery and boldness

made sure he was no beast.

These four brilliant wizards,

put me in charge.

For I can see your thoughts, even hidden far.

So, put me on that head of yours,

and we shall see...

Which of the four you are most like

and put you there- bless me!

Everyoneapplauded and The Sorting began. They listened vaguely and clapped when someone was sorted into Gryffindor.

Finally, after all of the First Years had been sorted, McGonagall took her seat. Harry and Hermione once again looked to Ron, but before he could say anything, Dumbledore stood. Ron rolled his eyes and sat back for the wait.

"Before we begin, I have two announcements. I'm sure many of you have noticed the newcomer in our staff." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked at the gaggle of Weasley's at the Gryffindor table. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Shaylee Weasley."

Her name got tremendous applause, most of it coming from the Gryffindors (Fred and George's whistling probably won that competition).

"She's my cousin. The only young girl in the family besides Ginny, and Fred and George's third stooge," Ron took the time to explain to Harry and Hermione.

After the applause, Dumbledore spoke again. "It seems that you've been accepted, Professor." Shaylee grinned a grin identical to the twins'. ("I see the resemblance," Hermione whispered.)

Dumbledore continued," Many of you might have realized that you haven't received your timetables yet." He smiled at Hermione. She blushed; she had, in fact, been wondering that very thing, earlier.

"This is part of my second announcement. You have not received them yet because there is a new course being added for all Years."

A groan rippled through the Great Hall. Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, yes, but you haven't heard me out yet." He waited until there was silence.

"In a recent study about Muggle education, it was found out that to keep their students in shape, they require a physical education class be taken. That study also reports that four out of five young wizards in Europe are out of shape. American wizarding schools are already requiring this course. So... Naturally, we studied a little more into the matter. We've added a gymnasium to the 4th floor. So, in short, your new course is Physical Education."

There weren't any groans, but nobody was exactly thrilled either. Dumbledore laughed again, and continued, "Normally, there would be separate classes for boys and girls, but at the lack of a male teacher willing to risk his life doing athletic activities with some certain 7th year boys..." His eyes twinkled as he pointedly looked at the twins. "We've persuaded, instead, Professor Weasley to handle the classes by Years."

This got Dumbledore the response he's been waiting for (applause). He smiled and said, "I only have one more thing to say- Tuck in!" He waved his wand and food appeared on the tables.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Ron exclaimed, stuffing a chicken leg in his mouth. "I'm not..." Harry said (filling up his plate anyway). "I've lost my appetite." "Why?" Ron inquired, still stuffing his face.

"You've never been to a Muggle school before, Ron, so you've never had PE. It's terrible!"

"Not always," Hermione intervened. "It depends on who's teaching you. And who's in the class with you. You had your cousin in yours, so it had to be horrible," Hermione pointed out.

"That's true. I always seemed to be the target for balls to be thrown at, or to be tackled... I suppose it will be alright without someone constantly making my life Hell."

"There's something you're forgetting, though, Harry," Ron said between mouthfuls. "What's that?" Harry asked curiously. Ron swallowed and announced shortly, "Malfoy."


	2. PE Class

Disclaimer: Not mine! 

AN: Thanks to all who reviewed! Sorry it took so long to post. I'm a bit busy.

The following note is to 'Harry Potter Police', who left a very well rounded review (applause!), to whom I must answer a few questions. 1)Thanks! They may be in character now, but in the later chappys, Draco gets way ooc, but that is intentional and will be explained when I get there. 2) I never really thought about why they didn't kno she was coming. It was just good for the plot, I guess. 3) U R right, she does have 2 DADA for each year, but I made it so that she only has one PE class per year. That's only 21 classes. Therefore, she has about 4 classes a day and 5 on one day. It can be done if she doesn't want freetime... Plus, let's just say she's extremely organized... 4) The whole paragraph thing... My Eng. teacher says I have the same problem, so I'm trying to work on it. Thanks! Thank you very much for the help! Lord knows I need it!

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It was Tuesday and the 5th years were on their way to the Gym. Dumbledore had put more descriptive directions on their timetables, so they got there fairly quickly.

Professor Weasley (this was the first time they had her) was waiting at the door. She smiled when Ron, Harry, and Hermione walked up. "Ronniekins!" She gave him a hug and laughed when he scowled.

"I haven't talked to you yet! How are you? I just had GinGin in my Defense Against Dark Arts class this last hour. We had a VERY interesting conversation. I don't have Gred and Forge until tomorrow, though. I've talked to them, of course. They wouldn't let me get away! Have you-" She didn't seem to stop for air.

Ron just nodded along, trying to pretend that the tall girl with the strong Irish accent was NOT his cousin, his face turning redder by the second.

Finally, the bell rung and Shaylee shut up. "Oh! That's the bell! Are we all here?" She looked around. The students were all looking at her blankly.

She laughed. "Well, aren't we a responsive group! Let me take attendance before we get started."

And that's what she did. Kind of... For instance, instead of saying, 'Hermione Granger', she said 'Herm the Forest Ranger'. Then there was 'Hairy Potty', 'Ronniekins Weasleface', and of course, 'Dragon Malformed'.

Everyone (except the Slytherins, of course) laughed at the latter, making her smile as she finished.

"OK! In we go! Follow me!" She opened the door and led them into a huge room. "Time for the official tour!"

She walked about 10 feet to her right. "This is the girl's locker room. The boy's is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over there!" She pointed to her left.

"These will be used to change clothes. They are NOT for snogging, wild parties, or holding weird rituals to ancient gods."

The class laughed and Shaylee smiled and continued. "And yes, most days you will have to wear gym clothes. Which," she added, grinning evilly, "will be provided." She laughed as the girls all groaned.

"They aren't really that bad, guys." She paused, thought a moment, and took her wand out. "In fact, to save time, I'll just do this for you..."

She waved her wand and suddenly they weren't wearing their robes anymore. They were wearing running shorts and a T-shirt in their house colors. The shorts were the main color (ex: Gryffindor: Red, Slytherin: green) while the shirts were the other color with a collar the same color as the shorts.

"OK, now back to the tour... Everybody see that door over there?" She nodded towards an old looking door with no window on the other side of the gym. "Well... That's the swimming pool."

Hermione's ears perked up. "In a few weeks, we'll start our swimming unit, but everyone is welcome to swim in it on weekends and during freetime. It will be open always except after curfew." She paused and glared at the class threateningly.

"However, never, EVER got here without a partner. There won't always be a lifeguard on duty, and if nobody is there and you drown, the only thing I'm saying at your funeral is 'I told you so'."

She got a few laughs out of that and smiled. "Mostly, we'll be doing Muggle sports, but today... We're going to play a game you are all familiar with."

She waved her wand once again and Quidditch goalposts appeared on the ends of the gym.

There was a lot of cheering, but some of them were less than thrilled, like Hermione.

"So, is there anyone here who's never played a game of Quidditch before?" Hermione and another Muggle born (a Hufflepuff) were the only ones who raised their hands.

Professor Weasley groaned. "Of course... I should have expected that..."

She stopped and re-phrased her question, "Is there anyone here who's never SEEN a game of Quidditch?" No one raised their hands and Shaylee smiled and nodded.

"We'll be using the school brooms, of course." They ALL groaned when they heard that.Everione hadexperienced the wrath of the school brooms.

"However, if you are able to do the summoning charm to get a decent broom- it doesn't even have to be yours- within twenty seconds, you may use it." She winked at Harry. She had, evidently, heard about his little task last year.

Some people groaned because they either couldn't do the summoning charm or they didn't have a broom to summon.

However, those who were accomplished at the summoning charm (cough Harry cough), had a broom to summon (cough Harry cough), or had listened and had heard that they could summon someone ELSE'S broom ("Oh, George won't mind..." Ron's famous last words) all summoned their brooms. Hermione even allowed herself to summon up Percy's old broom, which had been given to Ron, who refused to use it. She'd rather ride on an old hand- me-down Comet than on one of the school Comets that had probably had jinxes put on them by the Weasley twins.

All together, there were only about 7 people in the whole class that didn't have to use school brooms.

Shaylee waited until the twenty seconds were up, then turned back to the class.

"Usually, there are seven people on a Quidditch team. However, because there are thirty-six people in this class, we'll have eighteen people on a team. I'm not organized enough to have rotations, so we're going to make there be more players for each position. There will still only be one Seeker per team, of course. But, there will be three Keepers, eight Chasers, and six Beaters."

She stopped deliberately and looked at the class unwaveringly for a short moment. "I will separate you into teams, but you can choose your own positions. So... If everyone is ready, I'll put you into teams. I wanna play some Quidditch!"

Harry thought that Professor Weasley had done a lousy job picking the teams, as the only Quidditch player on the other team was a Hufflepuff Chaser.

Evidently, a Ravenclaw boy on the other team had noticed this too and said, "Hey! They get all the good players!" "Hey! I take offense to that!" the Hufflepuff cried back. "I was only kidding!" The Ravenclaw grinned.

Over on Harry's team, Hermione was doing the one thing she was great at: taking charge.

"OK, first we need two Keepers. Who's willing to do that?" Seamus and Justin volunteered for that position, both accepting and respecting Hermione taking control of the group. However, she wasn't that lucky with the Slytherins.

"Hold on," Malfoy butted in. "Who died and made YOU Queen of the Field, Mudblood?"

Hermione raised a warning glance at all of the non-Slytherins, who were all glaring at Draco violently. She chose her words carefully. "Well, apparently nobody but you and your fellow Slytherins object it, and remember, BLONDIE, majority rules."

For once, Draco failed for words. "Now," Hermione continued, "the position of Seeker is easily filled..."

At the same exact time, two voices came out and said, "That's me."

Hermione looked up to find Harry and Malfoy staring at each other angrily. Everyone else was watching them too.

"Well," Padma Patil spoke up hesitantly. "Harry's the better Seeker..." Malfoy glared at her while murmurs of agreement went up from the team.

"That settles it," Hermione said, smiling at Harry. "Harry's the Seeker."

After the positions on both teams were separated out, they were all herded into proper formation. First, Professor Weasley let the Snitch and the Bludgers out. She grinned at Ron (Chaser) mischievously, winked at Hermione (also a Chaser) and tossed the Quaffle up.

Evidently, Professor Weasley was not one of those teachers who chose favorites. More accurately, she chose a few students to absolutely torture and treat the rest normally. Most people thought that she would have been nice to Ron just because they were related.

However, you could tell she wasn't, because he was the only one out of Hermione, Harry, and him that was on the other team. Also, when she threw up the Quaffle, it was much closer to Hermione's team than to Ron's.

Padma (who was an experienced Ravenclaw Chaser) got the Quaffle. She sped towards the goalpost, (which was being guarded by Hannah Abbott) with two of the other Chasers on her team following her.

Halfway there, she was stopped by a Slytherin Chaser and tossed the Quaffle to the nearest Chaser. That Chaser happened to be Hermione, who did everything but fall off her broom to catch it.

As soon as she caught the Quaffle, both Bludgers were sent in her way. She ducked from the first one, but the second was too low for her to do anything.

Suddenely, Draco (who was a Beater) came up and knocked the Bludger away. Hermione looked up, saw that it was Draco that had saved her and stuck her nose in the air, flying towards the goalpost and throwing it crookedly to another Chaser on the way.

"Watch where you're going, Granger!" Draco yelled after her. She pointedly ignored him.

Below, Professor Weasley watched them, intrigued. "This could be quite interesting..." She paused. 'Oh Shaylee, you devil!' she scolded herself. Grinning and shrugging her conscience off, she went back to watching the game.

Harry Potter was way up by the ceiling (indoor Quidditch had its bad side) searching for the snitch. She had heard from her Aunt Molly that him and Ron were best friends, but her little talk with Ginny had let her know a lot more about him.

She couldn't help but admire his flying skills. 'Ginny was right. He is a great flier,' she thought, a grin coming on her face. 'Ginny seems to have a little crush... I'll get to play Cupid soon!'

Her attention was abruptly brought back to the game when a red blur streaked past her. She hadn't even noticed it, but the Snitch wasn't even ten feet from her.

Harry grinned as he held the Snitch up.

"Great job. Come on down here!" she yelled to the rest of the class.

She turned to Harry and smiled as he handed her the snitch. "I'm very impressed with your flying skills, Mr. Potter." He blushed and shrugged, saying, "Thanks..."

When everyone was off of their brooms, she said, "OK, everyone. That's all for today, but I do have a surprise for you on Thursday... Whether it's a good surprise or a bad surprise, you won't find out until then..."

She waved her wand and they were all back in their school robes again. Grinning, she said, "You'll have to do that on your own from now on... And now, I guess you're dismissed!"

The class quickly departed until there was only a group of Gryffindors and a group of Slytherins left. The three Gryffindors were getting Hermione's books from the side of the room. She watched as Draco Malfoy and his two stalkers (or what appeared to be stalkers to her) walked by and muttered something. Ron seemed extremely PO'd, but Harry and Hermione stopped him from doing anything.

Approaching them,Shaylee asked, "Is something wrong here?"

"Of course not, Professor," Malfoy answered quickly.

She raised an eyebrow and turned to Hermione. Ron answered for her, "He just called her a Mudblood, Shay. He's been making remarks like th-"

Professor Weasley held her hand up, silencing him. "Is this true?" she asked Hermione, who nodded.

Professor Weasley turned to Draco. "Twenty points from Slytherin, for obvious reasons."

She turned back to Ron and said, "And five points from Gryffindor for calling a Professor by her first name."

* * *

AN: OK, I know that there are lots of probs with this chappy. However, the only one that is really REALLY bothering me is the lack of an Irish accent for Shaylee. I can speak an Irish accent really well, but I have problems writing in one. AND I DON'T KNOW WHY! It's driving me crazy, and if NE one could help (dunno how they could, but yeah...) I would appreciate it sooooooooooooo very much! 


	3. The Meeting

Disclaimer: If U think these characters belong to me, I think U belong in a mental institution. ^_^  
  
AN: Thank U to everyone who reviewed! I love you all!  
  
WARNING: This is the chapter where characters start to get OOC. But, hey, what's the use of writing a fic if you can't make the chars do things that they wouldn't normally do? ^_^  
  
  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stumbled into the Common Room from a very tiring day. Not only was Snape more evil than usual, but Ron and Harry had had their first Divination lesson of the year and old Trelawney was as batty as ever.  
  
They plopped down on the red plush couch. "Ugh, we'd better get started on Divination," Harry said to Ron, pulling out his Divination text book. "A whole page of this junk is due tomorrow! How are we supposed to get this done?"  
  
"Stretch our imagination, I guess." Ron also took out his Divination book.  
  
"Do you have any homework, Herm?" Harry asked, writing something down.  
  
"Nope," Hermione answered. "Just Transfiguration, but I want to find something for that in the library..."  
  
"Lucky..." Ron muttered. "Hey, Harry, do you think Trelawney'd mind if I predicted that I was late for Divination more than once?" Harry looked up. "Ummm...:" "What? It's an excuse to miss some class!" Harry laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
Hermione stood up and stretched. "I think I'll go to the Swimming Pool for a bit before Dinner..."  
  
"Great... Remember to take someone with you," Harry said, his mind on his work.  
  
"Oh, after this day, someone is definitely going to be in the pool."  
  
"OK, but if my cousin says the eulogy at your funeral, don't blame me," Ron said, glancing up at her. She rolled her eyes. "I'm a better swimmer than you'll ever be, Ron."  
  
They didn't stop her as she left. In the past few years, they had gotten used to Hermone's personality slowly changing into a little rule breaking hellion (as Filch seemed to be fond of calling them).  
  
~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione walked down the hallway and up the staircase to the PE room. If there was one thing in the universe that Hermione loved more than being able to do magic, it was water. She had absolutely LOVED swimming ever since the first time she'd been in a pool. She hadn't spent ten minutes in there before she downright begged her parents for swimming lessons. They finally gave in, and by the end of the summer, her and the pool were almost inseparable.  
  
She returned every summer, and when she turned nine, she began competing in different Swimming and Diving competitions. She always placed in, at least, the top four, but eight out of ten times she was in the top two.  
  
She was rarely beat, but when she was, it was always by the same person. His name was David, and though his diving was excellent, he rarely participated in contests, leaving the winners block free for Hermione.  
  
As she reached the Gym door, she paused, thinking, 'I hope someone IS in there. Especially if a teacher walks in and I don't have someone there.' She almost turned back, but decided to go on, because chances are that no teacher would come to the Swimming Pool.  
  
She entered the girls' locker room and used a variation of the spell Professor Weasley had used to put them in their Gym outfits. This put her in her light blue one-piece bathing suit. She put her hair up in a ponytail and wrapped a towel she had charmed up around her.  
  
She made her way to the pool. When she reached the door, she paused and cracked it open to see if she could hear anyone. It was silent except for the sound of someone in the water. Carefully, she slipped in and watched.  
  
What she saw surprised her. Climbing up the diving board steps, blonde hair wet and messed up, was Draco Malfoy. He obviously didn't see her, as he was still on the board and focusing on his dive.  
  
'He actually looks kinda cute right now... Whoa! GROSS!!! I did NOT just think that about Draco Malfoy!'  
  
Draco got into diving formation and dived off the board perfectly. 'Wow... He's a great diver...' Hermione shook her head and forced herself to look at her other surroundings. She then noticed something; Draco didn't have anyone with him either!  
  
~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco Malfoy was swimming back to the diving board to continue practicing his dives. He was at the side of the pool, getting out when he heard the door creak open. He glanced at the door, but just saw it standing open about an inch.  
  
He shook his head and started to climb up the diving board ladder. If someone had his heart set on spying o him, he didn't really care.  
  
He got in the proper diving formation and dived smoothly into the pool. He was swimming to the side when he heard the door open the rest of the way. However, he chose not to look over there until a haughty voice said, "And what exactly are you doing here without someone else, Malfoy?"  
  
He turned to the door, vaguely recognizing the voice. There, only twenty feet from him, was Hermione Granger in a modest blue bathing suit with a towel wrapped tightly around her.  
  
He sneered. "May I ask you the same question, Miss Prude?"  
  
His words had the effect he was expecting. She blushed and said. "Well, that's none of your business, Malfoy. I don't know about you, but I'm swimming." She unwrapped her towel and tossed it on the bench by the wall.  
  
Draco's stomache lurched. Normally, whenever he saw Hermione, she was wearing the baggy school robes. However, the bathing suit, though modest, was extremely tight (or so it seemed to him) and complimented her figure a little too much for Draco's sanity and... something a lot lower...  
  
Blushing, he quickly turned away and went to the diving board. "Whatever, Granger," he said. "Just don't bug me."  
  
When he turned, Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. She forced herself to stop watching him and jumped in the eight and a half foot deep section.  
  
First, before she started her laps, she raced with herself to the other side and back. When she got back to where she started, she started swimming laps.  
  
When her legs finally started tiring, she stopped and floated on her back. This was what she loved the most about swimming. Having your body on pure liquid. It was almost like magic, if you thought about it.  
  
She loved the way that when you tilted your head back far enough, your ears got underwater and instead of hearing everyday problems, you just heard a repetitive 'blub, blub' and the humming of the water filter.  
  
She was in the five foot section when she brought her head back up to clear her ears (the worst thing about swimming is getting water in your ears), when she heard splashing from over by the diving board. At first, she ignored it, thinking Malfoy was just trying to annoy her. However, what caught her attention was the sound of a throaty, "Help!"  
  
She looked up and was immediately scared by what she saw, or rather, what she DIDN'T see; Draco. She gasped and swam as fast as she could to over where he had been. She was so intent on getting over there, that she didn't hear the door close.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Draco stood up on the diving board, looking down at Hermione. She was floating on her back with a small smile on her face. She looked totally at peace with the world, not like she normally did, stressed out over her homework and classes.  
  
One hardly ever sees Hermione like this, he realized. She's never totally calm.  
  
He was so ensnared with the picture she made, that he almost didn't hear the door creep open.  
  
However, that was an almost, so he did notice, thinking, 'What is it with people looking in here before actually coming in?'.  
  
He bent down to touch his toes, getting ready for a complicated dive. He was a Malfoy, after all. He had to show off.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, he felt some sort of force throw him off the diving board into the water. He yelled from surprise, therefore swallowing a lot of water when his body met the water. Normally, he would have been able to save himself in a situation like this. He was a very experienced swimmer and had been pushed into a pool many times by his annoying cousins (AN: Remember that!). However, there was something giving him extra weight. It was like he was being pulled down.  
  
He forced himself up, choked and breathed in as much air as he could, then yelled, "Help!", hoping Hermione would hear. Before he could stay afloat and get to the side of the poo, he felt himself being pulled into the water again.  
  
More water found its way into his mouth. His last thought was, 'Come on Granger! I don't want a Weasley speaking at my funeral!', before he blacked out.  
  
Hermione saw Draco's body underwater about three feet away from her. She dived under and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side of the pool after that. She slipped out of the pool and dragged him out with her.  
  
She listened to his breathing. There wasn't any. 'How cliche! Having to do CPR to my worst enemy!" The last thing she wanted to do was perform CPR on Draco Malfoy, but he wasn't breathing and she didn't have very much time left to help him.  
  
Disregarding her doubts, she started CPR on him. After a few tries, she was getting frantic. However, after her next try, Draco coughed and sputtered up some water.  
  
"Are you all right?" Hermione asked. Draco coughed and nodded.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Draco opened his eyes and sat up, supported by his hands. "I- I really don't know. I was on the diving board getting ready to dive and something knocked me off. I think it might have been a spell."  
  
Draco looked around. A strange look came on his face.  
  
"What?" Hermione asked curiously. "I could have sworn the door opened when I was up there. I thought someone was coming in..." Hermione also vaguely remembered the sound of the door closing.  
  
Draco looked up and it was like he just remembered who he was talking to and his normal face came back on. "You could have been a little faster, Granger," he said and stood up. "It's almost time for dinner."  
  
Hermione also stood up, her face turning haughty. "Well, I'm not the one who almost drowned." She grabbed her towel and turned to leave. Draco also his towel and as Hermione reached for the doorknob, he called, "Hermione, wait!"  
  
It was probably the fact that he actually called her Hermione, but for some reason, she turned.  
  
Draco seemed a little doubtful. "Well... Erm... I mean- Well, thanks."  
  
Hermione stared at him, then nodded. She turned and walked off to dinner.  
  
  
  
AN: OK, just for the record, I'm not trying to have Hermione like me in this ficcy. I HATE swimming!  
  
Alright, I usually don't do this, but it's never too late to start!  
  
Thanks to:  
  
Death Ringer~ Don't worry. They'll play soccer sometime in here! May-star~ Thank you so very much! Shay is a model of what I WANT to be like! ^_^ DancinBlondeGurl~ Thanks! Here it is! Enjoy! Caroline~ Heehee. ^_^ Chloe E Zephyr~ ::maniacal laugh in the background:: Believe me, it's gonna be mischief packed! Lexi Wood~ Thanks! Rebecca~ Thank you! That's more than my English teacher would ever say! ^_^ Principessa Squish Aldkivina~ Very funny, Alicia. And I did too read it to you! Remember, you wanted Draco to die! ::shoots daggers:: Harry Potter Police~ See top. Footmonster~ I hate PE too. Unfortunately, I start it this semester. 


	4. Daddy!

AN: Guess what, everybody!! My school is putting on the musical, Grease and I got a part! Woohooo! OK, so I'm just the principal/English teacher lady, but it's a part and I'm happy (especially considering that the guy I like is in it too!). I'm happy, and I just wanted to share that with ya'll. Oh, and speaking of that guy, wish me luck... I'm asking him to our Semi-formal tomorrow... If I don't chicken out... ^_^ Enough of personal news...  
  
Disclaimer: If I knew any magical genies that give wishes, Harry Potter would be mine. Unfortunately, I don't, so he and his friends (and enemies- who can forget Malfoy?-) still belong to the one and only JK Rowling. But, if anyone comes across a wish-granting genie, please tell it to come my way!  
  
Warning: OK, I was in a very hyperish weird mood when I wrote this, so beware... I tried to make it serious, really...  
  
  
  
It was breakfast time and Draco Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table, cooly eating his breakfast. How he managed to eat scrambled eggs with an attitude, I don't know- with all those bits of egg falling off his fork... But, anyway, the point is, it was breakfast time and Draco had a bit of an attitude on him.  
  
He was thinking of last night, when Hermione Granger, vermin, in his opinion, had saved him, when she had probably thought that he was the vermin.  
  
Then, his thoughts rotated to the conversation he had held with his father the day before he had left for school. He had been given a task to carry out for his father. He was often given tasks to carry out, as he was expected to become a death eater upon his graduation and take his father's place as right-hand man after his father was unable to perform all of the necessary tasks.  
  
This certain job, however, came as a shock to him, and when his father told him what he was to do, he was positive that Lucius had had way too much wine at dinner that night. However, Lucius explained his motives to Draco, and he finally started to understand. Unfortunately, if he obeyed his father, and his destiny as Voldemort's right-hand-man, his reputation in the Slytherin house would take a very sudden nose dive.  
  
But then, just recently, the solution had almost jumped right into his hands. His father would be quite pleased, he was sure.  
  
His attention was drawn to the High Table as Professor Snape entered though the side door with Dumbledore and that Weasley girl who fancied herself a Professor.  
  
Professor Snape attempted to step down to the student tables, but stopped as Professor Weasley thrust her arm in his way, muttered something forcefully, and made her way over to the Slytherin table. She tossed her hair confidently as Snape stood behind her, gaping at her nerve.  
  
All of the Slytherins watched her carefully and suspiciously as she stopped behind Draco. Draco looked up at her with crossed arms and still eyes. "What?"  
  
"Your father needs to talk to you," Shaylee said, snickering at his attitude. Draco evidently hadn't been expecting this, as surprise showed on his face. He recovered quickly, however and wiped the shock off of his face.  
  
"Where is he?" he asked, standing up. "Common Room," came Snape's voice from behind Shaylee. Shaylee turned to him. "I can handle this, Snape." "I'm sure you can, Weasley, but as I'm sure you're well aware, this is MY student you're talking to."  
  
Shaylee beamed at him and said loudly, "Well, then. We're at an understanding. He's my student also, your greasy-ship." Snape's mouth dropped open as the Hall became totally silent.  
  
Every person in the Great Hall had heard what she'd said. Most Ravenclaws and Gryffindors stared at her in awe. Nobody had ever said anything like that to Professor Snape's face. The Slytherins were glaring at her and the Hufflepuffs were looking at her like she was about to be put under six feet of dirt and they'd never see her again. Then of course, there were the teachers. McGonagall shook her head at the ignorance of the young professor while Dumbledore just sat there with a twinkle in his eye, trying not to smile.  
  
Rage burned in Snape's eyes and Shaylee smiled. "You can't take points from me, can you?" she asked in a taunting low voice. Snape also lowered his voice, "No, but if you had any sense, you would've talked to your miserable little cousins," he nodded towards the Gryffindor table, "before releasing any public insults." He stood taller and said somewhat proudly, "For it is common knowledge that I have the ability to make any person's life total and complete Hell."  
  
They glared eye to eye for a few more moments, then Shaylee simply nodded and turned to avoid him seeing the smile playing on her lips.  
  
"Um, Sevvy..." "WHAT?" Snape snapped (Hehe.. Snape snapped.. Haha...) angrily. "Well, our mutual student seems to have tired in waiting for us and went on to greet his father by himself." Snape looked over to where Draco was supposed to have been. "Oh, shit. Not good." He stormed out of the room, Shaylee following him.  
  
"Pardon, Sevvy, but why is that not good?" Shaylee asked them after they'd left the Great Hall on their way to the Slytherin Common Room. Snape growled. "Don't call me that!"  
  
Shaylee held back a snicker. "Oh, sorry. I guess I took that bonding moment back there in the Great Hall a little too seriously..." She fake sniffled. "But, anywho, why is that bad?"  
  
Snape looked at her like she was kidding. "Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy?" She didn't seem to understand. "Bloody Hell! Surely, you've heard of the most arrogant, self-centered, asshole Death Eater in Europe?" "Ohhhh.... THAT Lucius Malfoy!"  
  
Snape shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you and your annoying cousins shared brain waves..." "The twins?" Shaylee asked. Snape nodded. She grinned. "Why, thank you!"  
  
Suddenly, Snape stopped and Shaylee bumped into him. "Huh? Where's the Common Room? All I see is a wall." Snape looked at her like she was an ignoramus. "This IS the Common Room."  
  
Shaylee paused and scratched her head thoughtfully. Finally, she burst out, "Blimey, it must be durn hard for them to do their homework, sideways like that. And sleeping has to be horrid! Stuck on a wall!"  
  
There was an appropriate length of astonished silence as Snape stared at her. "Amazing," he finally muttered, "how far Dumbledore will go to bestow pity on those who are legally insane..." Shaylee giggled a very high pitched, annoying laugh.  
  
He glared at her again. "What?"  
  
He kept glaring at her and she sighed, turned her back to him, and plugged her ears.  
  
Snape turned back to the wall and said the password, "Pillsbury Dough Boy."  
  
There was a shrill giggle as Shaylee turned back towards him. "I suppose the Headmaster picked the password again?"  
  
"You were listening!" Snape accused.  
  
"Why, great deduction, Sherlock! If I didn't know you, I'd say you were pretty sharp!" Shaylee said sarcastically. Snape growled. "Just shut up and follow me!"  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Draco walked into the empty Common room to see his father sitting on the couch in front of the fire. "Sir," he greeted, remaining standing a safe distance from his father, for even he knew that his father lost control very easily.  
  
"Good morning Draco. I trust you are doing well with your studies?" Lucius Malfoy stood up and looked cooly at his son.  
  
Draco nodded. "Yes, but we both know that that's not the reason you're here."  
  
Lucius' eyes narrowed. "You'd do better to not use that tone with your father, young man."  
  
Draco flinched as he took a step closer. "Of course, sir," he muttered, looking down at the floor.  
  
"You were correct, of course," Lucius continued. "I've come to see if you have made any progress."  
  
Draco was silent for a moment. "I'm currently working on it, sir. I talked to her last night."  
  
"Last night?" Lucius sputtered with rage. "You didn't approach her before last night?!"  
  
Draco stepped back. "Well, it's still our first week back, sir. And we hate each other. I think that's progress."  
  
Lucius stepped up more. He was now extremely close to Draco.  
  
"You will get that Muggle girl to trust you enough so that we may hand her over to the Lord. I have no idea why he wants such filth," he added, disgusted. "But we will do as the Dark Lord asks."  
  
Draco looked up at his father. "Sir, it may take quite a time to get her to fully trust me. She probably thinks as bad of me as we do of her."  
  
His father looked furious. "WELL?? You have SOME charm, don't you? Surely, MY son can get a simple Muggle-born girl to fall for him!"  
  
Draco opened his mouth to tell him something, but was silenced as his father roared on. "You will get Hermione Granger, young man! You will get her or there will be severe consequences!" He raised his arm high, ready to slap him from anger.  
  
"Good morning, Lucius," came a voice from the doorway. Lucius immediately put his arm down and they both looked to the door where Professor Snape was walking into the Common Room, followed by Professor Weasley.  
  
Lucius sneered when he saw who it was. "Why, Severus! Long time no see! I see you're taking wonderful care of my son here."  
  
Snape surveyed the situation carefully, and sent a look to his student that clearly said to shut up and let him handle it.  
  
"Why, thank you, Lucius. Our new Professor Weasley and I were just coming to see if you two were finished talking. Young Draco DOES have to get to his studies, you know."  
  
At the mention of Professor Weasley, Lucius' gaze immediately traveled to Shaylee's face, smirking. "A Weasley, is she? Hmmm... She's dressed quite a bit better than her relatives..."  
  
Shaylee opened her mouth, no doubt to say a smart remark, but was silenced by a single warning look sent to her by Snape. This did not go unnoticed by Lucius, whose lips formed a twisted smile.  
  
"Well, I must be going. Draco and I have discussed what was needed." He turned to his son. "I'll check in soon." He turned to the door, the three occupants of the room watching him suspiciously.  
  
He turned as he reached the door and addressed Professor Snape. "I must say, Severus, your continued taste for redheads is quite annoying. Or perhaps you just like them with a bit of fight in them, if you know what I mean."  
  
Snape narrowed his eyes as he shook, trying to control himself. He chose his words carefully. "Years have passed, Lucius, and you still only think of the same two things. Now, do me and my students a favor, and get out of my Common Room."  
  
Lucius looked straight into his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. "Disgraceful," he muttered. He turned on his heel and quickly walked out of the room, leaving Draco, Snape, and Shaylee staring after him.  
  
  
  
Thanks to all who reviewed!! Here, have a bit of my supper! Veggie Soup is yummy!  
  
DancinBlondeGurl: Here it is! Hehe, I think my writing was a little too happy, especially for such a serious chappy!  
  
Jessica: Hehe. I never even thought about that! I'll remember that! I love volleyball!  
  
Lil-spitfire: Thank you! Shay's got to be my fav. char I've ever created! Oh, and U'll just hafta wait and see!  
  
Death Ringer: Yes, and here it is again! Oh, and ummm. I was just updating a lot cuz it was vacation. But, I'll still update as much as I can, now that school has started again.  
  
Allee kat: You're very smart. You're extremely close. 


	5. Howdy Par'ner!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine! Get that through your heads!!!  
  
AN: Guess WHAT???? The guy that I asked said YES!!!! Yay!!! Yeah, we're doubling cuz his best friend is going with my best friend. All four of us are going out to eat afterwards and we're gonna ask for a booster seat for me! (Long story. You see. I'm about 4' 10". Very short for my age. Another friend told me he'd give me 15 bucks if I asked for a booster seat when we went out to eat. ^_^) Anywho, thank you to those you wished me luck and asked about him. ^_^ Oh, and thanks to those who congratulated me on my part. ^_^  
  
  
  
It was Thursday afternoon and the 5th years were in the Gym, waiting for Professor Weasley.  
  
"Didn't she say she had a surprise for us today? I wonder what it is." Hermione said, impatiently watching the door.  
  
"Yeah, she said she had a surprise, but if I know Shay, that look on her face when she said it meant that it wasn't good for us," Ron said, thinking of his cousin and her evil tendencies.  
  
Harry and Hermione just shrugged, thinking Ron was over-reacting.  
  
Hermione was about to make a comment about tardy teachers when the door swung open and revealed Professor Weasley. Or, who kind of looked like Professor Weasley. Instead of the usual Hogwarts robes, she was wearing jeans and a denim shirt with fringes. She had a red bandana tied around her throat and was lugging a huge Muggle jam box with her.  
  
As soon as she entered the room, she had everyone staring at her. She half carried, half dragged the jam box to the center of the room and set it down.  
  
She turned to the class and apologized, "Sorry I'm late. I had to lug this up the stairs." (AN: OK, I know that she could have used a lightening charm, but this is just the way it is)  
  
The students didn't really care if she was late or not, at that moment. All they cared about was what she was wearing and why she was wearing it.  
  
She finally noticed what they were staring at and grinned her Weasley grin. She spun around, modeling.  
  
"Isn't it cute? I ran into Professor Snape down there and gave him quite a fright, but it's perfect for what we're doing today!"  
  
That was probably about the time that everyone started getting nervous. If Professor Weasley noticed their hesitation, she said nothing about it. "  
  
"We," she began, "are going to have a good ol' Western square dance!"  
  
Most of them just looked very confused, but some of the Muggle who had heard about square dances from American relatives groaned.  
  
Professor Weasley laughed. "I LOVE making you miserable!" If she had taken a longer look at her class, she would have noticed that only two or three people, the Muggles that had American relatives, were miserable (Hermione included). The rest just looked VERY confused.  
  
"Now, before you go start looking around for a partner, I might as well tell you, I'LL be putting you in pairs."  
  
This got everyone's attention and they were clearly NOT very happy about it. After having her for both DADA and PE for a few days, they all knew that she really DID love making them miserable. They also knew that she would put them in the most impossible pairs.  
  
"OK, but before I put you into pairs." She waved her wand. When they all looked down, they most embarrassedly found that they were all in outfits exactly like hers.  
  
"Oh. My. God." the fashion freaks, like Lavender and Pavarti said, screwing their faces up like they were looking at the most gross piece of clothing in the universe. Professor Weasley laughed like a child at their reaction.  
  
"Right-eo. I'll get you in pairs now!" She looked up at them with a twinkle in her eye.  
  
Walking toward her cousin and his two friends she said, for the first square. I'd like to have Ron." She showed him where to stand. "and Millicent together."  
  
Ron looked up at his cousin, something quite close to hate in his eyes. She laughed. "I know you love me, Ronniekins."  
  
She turned back to Harry and Hermione. "Harry, you stand here. Hannah will be your partner." She showed Hannah where to stand, then turned to Hermione.  
  
"OK, Miss Granger. You stand right here and." She scanned the rest of the class and she grinned that same old grin. "Draco, you'll be her partner."  
  
It seemed that the whole class was staring at her in a 'You wouldn't!' way. "What?" she defended herself, not daring to look at Ron, lest she burst out laughing. "I said that I'd pick your partners! I wasn't about to actually let you be with someone you're attracted to!" Shaylee went back to torturing her students, humming some old Muggle love song as she moved along the teenagers.  
  
'Heh. If she only knew how wrong she was.' Draco thought as Pansy and Neville were added to their square. 'Waiiiit. What the Hell did I just think? Gosh, she might look alright in a bathing suit, Malfoy, but Mudblood is what she is, and you're what you are. That's just plain PSYCHOTIC for you to even have a fleeting thought of it! But then. there IS that thing for father. this could be a very productive class if I start to follow his orders. It's like everything is being laid out for me.'  
  
He stood there with his arms crossed, not listening to anything said in the square. He didn't even respond to the threats Potter and Weasley were making at him.  
  
It was only Ron laughing as if something was extremely ironic and saying, "At least it's perfectly clear that he doesn't want to be with her either," that got his attention.  
  
He looked up and sneered. "Nope, I wouldn't want to take your little Mudblood girlfriend from you, would I, Weasley?"  
  
Hermione stuck out her arm to prevent Ron from doing anything, which was easy, as he was her corner (AN: sorry for those non square dancing peeps out there!).  
  
She turned to Draco. "You might want to be careful with that subject. He's really touchy about it." She said this kindly, with no sarcastic twist to her voice.  
  
Professor had finished putting together the many unhappy partners and was now standing in the center of the room. She announced that she was going to show them the more simple parts of square dancing and that they had better listen, because she was only going through it once.  
  
About ten minutes later, after she had made sure that they understood, she glanced around and as a last command she called, "And when they say for you to hold your partners hands, they mean it! If I see you not holding hands with your partner, I'll give you an detention where all you do is sit there and hold hands!"  
  
Draco snickered and Hermione looked at her strangely. "What?" "I was just thinking I might refuse to hold your hand just to make Weasley mad," he said as the music began.  
  
She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her lips gave her away. The annoying voice with the annoying music in the background indicated that they were to bow to their partners.  
  
Draco did so, with Hermione curtsying, and said with a Southern twang, "It's an honor ma'am." This time she let a small giggle escape her lips before they had to bow to their corners.  
  
Draco found it extremely ironic that just because of an added course, he, a Slytherin, was bowing to Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff.  
  
Actually, what he thought was the funniest thing that had ever entered his mind was the picture of Neville Longbottom and Millicent Bulstrode dancing together (they were corners so they'd have to dance with each other eventually). At this mental image, he laughed out loud.  
  
Hermione looked up at him, already expecting something weird; you could tell her eyes were ready to roll.  
  
"What?"  
  
He snickered and told her quietly as they all joined hands and circled to the right, "I was just imagining Longbottom and Millicent trying to dance." Evidently, she hadn't been expecting this, and her eyes gleamed while she laughed.  
  
Draco figured that seeing Hermione laugh at something he had whispered to herwouldn't exactly make Potter and Weasley too joyful, so he looked up and smirked at them while they were dose-a-doeing. (Jeesh, I just realized how stupid this chapter is...)  
  
The time came when they had to switch and become partners with their corners. While wanting to follow his father's orders, he still didn't want to ruin his reputation by flirting with Granger. So, he did the only sensible thing; he started to flirt with every girl he danced with.  
  
While he was in the middle of a Promenade with Hannah, he looked up to see the progress of everyone else in the square.  
  
He was sure he was going to burst out laughing when he not only saw Neville dancing with Millicent, but Harry dancing with Pansy.  
  
His desire to laugh, however, was completely neutralized when he turned to see Ron and Hermione quietly having a serious talk. Hermione looked quite mad and was saying something to him forcefully.  
  
'Maybe she'll slap him,' Draco thought, thinking of the time that she had slapped HIM.  
  
"Whatcha thinkin'?" Hannah asked. She'd proven to be a very talkative girl once he'd actually spoken to her. He grinned.  
  
"Just thinking about how much it sucks to be slapped by a girl."  
  
"Why were you thinking that?" Hannah asked curiously. Draco inconspicuously nodded towards Ron and Hermione.  
  
Hannah laughed. "I see what you mean."  
  
It turned out, Hermione didn't slap him, but when she got back to Draco, she muttered, "The bastard. I should have slapped him."  
  
Hearing this, Draco burst out laughing. Most of the room immediately turned to look at him, so he tried to stop. Still chuckling in between words, he agreed, "I couldn't have said it better."  
  
Hermione looked at him strangely, but then decide to be comfortable while it was possible. Though the three other males in the square were her friends, dancing with them wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing to experience.  
  
It wasn't necessarily a mean thing to say, considering that Ron was about ½ a foot taller than her, Harry was exactly the same size, and Neville was SHORTER than her.  
  
To be completely comfortable squaredancing, it's easiest if the person leading is a few inches taller. Draco was just the right size. He was perfect.  
  
  
  
R/R!! Geesh! I'm SOOOOOOO sorry it took so long to get this up! I feel so guilty! U all kno that I've got play practice after school everyday, and I have Speech and Debate too, so I hope that U Rn't too mad!  
  
DancinBlondeGurl: ^_^ Here it is! And U'll find out soon enough!  
  
Lil-spitfire: Thank U! I love it people compliment my chars! Shay is my role model!  
  
KEL-71E: Thanks! And thank you for the congrats! And, I hope U read that thing up there about the guy I asked. ^_^  
  
Allee kat: Kewl! So, I'd wish your cousin good luck, but it's a little late right now. And yes, U R VERY close. Oh, and that part isn't in the play, but my sis is the person who's supposed to sing it. She's Jan!  
  
Kary: Thanks! And U read my mind, that's exactly what I'm gonna do in the background with Sev and Shay! I'm so excited about that too! ^_^  
  
Ifeelsoalive: ^_^ Thanks! U'll get Ur email! 


	6. They just don't make magnets like they u

Disclaimer: I am NOT JK Rowling for God's sake!!!! I don't own Harry Potter!  
  
AN: Oooo! Everybody else hear about the 5th book coming out on June 21st? Yay! I'm thinking about getting a bunch of my friends together to spend the night outside of our bookstore (just like they did in London!). Yeah, if I can get permission from the people. ^_^  
  
AN: Hehe! Sorry! I don't know anything about diving, so when I'm talking about Hermione's dives, don't blame me if I don't call it by its actual name! ^_^ I don't like sports; I'm more of an academic person!  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Though Draco was civil while they were squaredancing, he seemed to go straight back to his old self after they stopped.  
  
When they were allowed to get out of their assigned spots, all of the Slytherins, including Draco went to go join the other, "Damn Slythershits," as Hannah muttered after them.  
  
There was a quiet chuckle behind them and when they turned, they saw Professor Weasley behind them with a smile on her face.  
  
"Though I find it extremely hilarious, and I'll probably use that phrase sometime in the future, I'll still have to take 5 points from Hufflepuff," she said quietly.  
  
Continuing, even more quietly, she whispered, "But I'll also give you 10 points for creativity." Her eyes twinkling, she moved on, with everyone who had heard her staring after her.  
  
Meanwhile, Draco was standing beside Crabbe and Goyle over by the rest of the Slytherins. He was trying to hold a conversation with Pansy, but Lord knows how hard it was to carry on an intelligent conversation with her! Then, there was also the fact that every few seconds, his head turned, not a noticeable amount, but enough to have a certain bushy haired Gryffindor in his line of vision.  
  
He was chiding himself about getting too close to a Mudblood when a glorious thought popped in his head.  
  
He was SUPPOSED to get close to the Mudblood. And he'd actually had her, too. For just a few minutes, he had actually had her in the palm of his hand!  
  
But then, he'd gone and ruined it. Well shit! Father was going to beat his ass for this!  
  
But he still had the charm, didn't he? He could win her back! After all, if Pansy was in true love with him, surely he could win over a little Mudblood for his father's plan.  
  
His father's plan. It hit him just like an anvil hits Wile E. Coyote (I'm so sorry for ruining a serious part! I couldn't help it!). Shit! If he got Hermione, it'd be for his father. And then, well. He didn't even want to think about that.  
  
Wait? Since when did he start calling her Hermione? The only time he'd ever called her by her first name was last night, in the Swimming Pool. Last night. Ha! Yeah, he'd definitely be able to get her. Well, father, it looks like you get your little prize this time!  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Fred and George Weasley sat in the 3rd row of their cousin's DADA classroom. Some people might assume that ANYONE would be polite and attentive in their cousin's class. However, anyone who thought that, obviously did NOT know the Weasley twins.  
  
Normally, Shaylee Weasley would be in on their fun, whispering ideas for them to use in their latest troublemaking plots.  
  
However, largely due to the fact that she was in front of the classroom talking about Kelpies (OK, I know 7th yrs would NOT be studying Kelpies, but give me a break!), she seemed to have absolutely no idea that instead of taking notes, the twins were PASSING notes under their desk.  
  
Of course, it just SEEMED that she had no idea. She paused a moment to look at her notes. She then looked up and said, "I feel left out, Gred and Forge. 5 points from Gryffindor for plotting havoc without me."  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Hermione guiltily looked down the corridor and saw no one coming. It was after classes yet before dinner, and she was going to the pool yet again. And she was, again, alone.  
  
As she changed into her bathing suit, she didn't even think that a certain someone might be there already. She hadn't thought of that certain someone ever since he had acted like a jerk in PE earlier that day.  
  
However, there our dear little Mr. Malfoy was, swimming laps, when she walked in. He didn't appear to notice her presence, as he didn't look up and kept swimming.  
  
She tossed her towel on the bench and walked, her arms folded, halfway down the longside of the pool. "Do you come here every night or what?" she asked, startling him.  
  
He looked up and as soon as he realized who it was, he said, "Yeah. And you?" He was smiling at her friendlier than he ever had. Hermione stiffened.  
  
"OK, Malfoy. What the hell is your problem?"  
  
"Uhhhh. Wha?"  
  
"You used to be a two headed jackass, and now, ever since we met here the other day, you've been civil! But not in front of your. your." Hermione sputtered, then spit out, "fellow Slythershits!"  
  
Draco stared at her, and at first she thought she'd hit a nerve. But then he seemed to be thinking. "That's quite clever, you know." Hermione gaped at him, then threw her hands in the air.  
  
"I give up, alright! I don't know if you're crazy; I don't know if you get stoned every morning! I don't know if you're possessed! All I know is that SOMETHING has you wierded out and that I'M not going to worry about it because it's YOUR problem!"  
  
Hermione turned on her heel and walked away while saying, "Now, if you don't, or DO mind, I am going to practice my diving!"  
  
Draco, a little wary at Hermione's previous speech, perked up at this statement, and said, "Hey! I'll judge!"  
  
He did the backstroke to a few yards back, noticing her stubborn silence, but making no remark about it.  
  
He watched as she touched her toes and got ready for her dive. He was getting pretty bored from watching her stretch when his mouth popped open and a loud, "WOAH!!" came out.  
  
Hermione had just done one of the dives that had won her last competition; it was one that was very complicated that her old Swimming Instructor had taught her last Summer. It had always managed to dazzle judges, and it hadn't failed her here either.  
  
She surfaced on the water to Draco's enthusiastic applause. Blushing, she ignored it and started to swim back to the diving board.  
  
"Hold on! That was a 10!" Draco's voice cut through the silence. "You haven't claimed your prize yet!"  
  
Hermione looked back and shook her head at his stupidity. 'If he wants to be friendly, I'll just have to cure him of that.'  
  
She went underwater to swim towards him. As she got close, she reached out and pulled his leg out from under him, causing him to fall underwater unexpectedly.  
  
It was a few seconds before he surfaced, coughing. Looking at her grinning face he said, trying to hide a grin of his own, "So, after saving me the other day, you're now trying to drown me."  
  
Joining in the little game, Hermione taunted back, "Yep! Now what's this about a prize?" Hermione taunted.  
  
"Hmmm." Draco pretended to be thinking. "I think that you deserve a good ol' dunking." Hermione smirked, not intimidated at the least.  
  
"You know what happens when you put me underwater, Malfoy." She looked up to tauntingly meet his eyes.  
  
When their eyes did meet, they were both hit by an unbelievable surge of electricity.  
  
Hermione blinked, surprised, and though Draco didn't flinch, or even blink, Hermione could feel the shock radiating off of him.  
  
This feeling caused the already uncomfortable Hermione to become very VERY aware of exactly how close their faces were.  
  
What happened next was not chosen by either Hermione OR Draco. It was like an exceedingly powerful magnet was pulling them together. (Hence the title of the chappy! ^_~)  
  
Their lips met for only a short moment, then Hermione wrenched herself away, staring at Draco with disgust.  
  
Not wasting any time, Hermione raced out of the pool, Draco calling after her. She grabbed her towel and rushed to the door, slamming it on the voice of Draco Malfoy.  
  
  
  
Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuuunnnnnn.... Um, yeah, R/R please! I'll only post the next chappy if I get 5 reviews (well, or if the reviews I DO get are so nice that I can't help but post.) Oh, and sorry it was soooooooooo friggen short! I wrote this story this summer, and it wasn't exactly a priority (like it is now, of course! ^_^)  
  
Anywho, thanks to:  
  
Lil-spitfire: Thanks! And shhhhhhhh! Don't let anyone else kno!!!!!! ^_^ Oh, that's be funny. I just HAFTA have her slap Ron sometime in this ficcy. Hehe.. Yeah.  
  
KEL-71E: Hehe. Yeah, ummmm. Yeah, the guy DOES have a brother, but he lives in Indiana in the US, and ummm.. Well, he's kinda in Kindergarten! ^_^ Oh and, yeah, that's why I put the dancing in. We did line dancing and square dancing in my PE class last year. That was soooo fun! Thanks for reviewing! 


	7. Accidents Happen

Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read these things? I mean, seriously, even if I didn't have one, who would care enough to muster up enough energy to actually sue me? I mean, all it is is a stupid little notice saying that I'm not JK Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter! Gah! I swear, they can not make me say that I don't own Harry Potter! I will never say that I don't own Harry Potter ever again!!!! ... Damn.  
  
A/N: I'm very hyper. I just loaded myself up on food and I am ready to go! Woohoo! Let's go team! Let's type that computer's ass off! ::Button pops on 'Obsessed's' pants:: Well, shoot. I guess I shouldn't have had that last helping of mashed potatoes. ^_^  
  
  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
  
  
Though Hermione stopped going to the pool in the evenings, fate (or. a plotting PE teacher) (-Lil-spitfire, yep, U got it!--) brought them together again.  
  
Professor Weasley managed to keep them partners for the 20 minute partner run, on the same team for basketball, and partners for skating. Needless to say, Hermione was getting a bit ticked off.  
  
Draco and her being together four times in a row COULDN'T just be coincidence. She knew that teachers could be forgetful sometimes, but surely Professor Weasley KNEW that she'd put them together for anything that needed partners so far..  
  
She sat on the gym floor tightening the laces on her skates and silently fuming. Ron and Harry noticed her angry silence and decided not to bug her.  
  
She tugged the laces so hard, she almost hit Ron with her elbow.  
  
She started muttering darkly under her breath. Hearing her, Ron blanched. Finally, he leaned in and said quietly, "Herm? What's wrong? Those are words you'd hear coming from MY mouth!"  
  
Hermione looked up and glared at him. Ron looked a little scared and was on the verge of apologizing when Hermione blushed and said, "No, it's alright! I'M sorry. I hate being with that idiotic Slythershit, though."  
  
Ron nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, you've been with him, what is it? Four times now?"  
  
"Uhhuh. No offense Ron, but I really don't understand your sousin's reasoning for always putting us together.."  
  
Ron frowned. "To tell you the truth, I don't either. But I think it probably has to do with the fact that the houses you are in are enemies, your groups of friends are enemies, and you two are enemies who want each other to disappear off of the face of this Earth!"  
  
Hermione nodded. 'That's true,' she thought. 'But if it really is, then what was that kiss about?' She blushed just thinking about it.  
  
Ron looked at her strangely. When Hermione realized this, she put herself back on her previous mood.  
  
"Yes, but it's still VERY annoying! There are other enemies in this class! Why doesn't she put Malfoy and HARRY together?!"  
  
Hermione wasn't aware of it, but her voice had unintentionally risen and the class started laughing.  
  
She blushed and looked up, her eyes meeting Draco's, which were looking at her skeptically.  
  
Wrenching her eyes away from his, she turned to see Harry looking at her with his arms crossed. She smiled innocently and stood up, saying, "Alright, are we just going to sit down with skates on our feet for the whole class?"  
  
Professor Weasley, who had been looking at Hermione with raised eyebrows, came back to the real world and nodded her head, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention.  
  
"Miss Granger is correct! We must be getting started. You all know who your partners are. Get with them and start skating!"  
  
Professor Weasley smiled and pushed a button on her jambox. Instead of the corny Western music that the class expected, one of the newest songs from a popular wizarding group came from the speakers.  
  
Hermione stubbornly folded her arms and waited for Malfoy while everyone else skated with their partners.  
  
Malfoy skated up to her stiffly. "OK, you're going to have to show me how to do this; I'm a wizard, I'm better up in the sky."  
  
Hermione paused, then looked at him dryly. "I have two comments for you. First, do I seem to be the type of Muggle who spends her Summer in the streets in shoes with wheels on them?" She glared at him. "Secondly, as for you being better in the sky, I'll keep that in mind, though I know for sure I'll never need to use that "talent" of yours."  
  
At first, Draco just stared at her blankly. But then he comprehended the meaning of what she said. His mouth fell open and as soon as he regained his composure, he sputtered out, "I didn't know you thought like that, Hermione," making a point of saying her first name.  
  
Hermione just stuck her nose in the air and started to skate off, feeling insecure just standing there alone with him while everyone else skated around them.  
  
Realizing that he was now standing alone, and that Professor Weasley was staring at him pointedly, he attempted to skate after her.  
  
She had evidently skated at least a few times because she wasn't falling and looked moderately comfortable.  
  
This, however, was a bad thing, because no matter how hard he tried, Draco couldn't catch up with her. It was only Professor Weasley yelling out, "Stay with your partners, people!" that made her stop and wait for him.  
  
After a few minutes and many falls, Draco finally announced, "You know, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this!"  
  
He had mastered the concept of going from side to side by watching the Muggles (who he wouldn't have even looked at if his butt wasn't at stake).  
  
Through the whole class, Hermione hadn't spoken another word to him after the comment about the air, so Draco was making all the "conversation".  
  
He should have been paying attention to what he was doing, however, because he accidentally slid too far when he was going back and forth and fell. He was in a very awkward position; one leg was beneath him while his other was stretched out to his side.  
  
"Oooo, that hur-" His painful statement was interrupted by a yell behind him.  
  
Suddenely, there was a crash and Draco's leg felt like it was being wrenched out as a blur of red fell over him.  
  
"Ow!" both Draco and Ron yelled at the same time.  
  
Ron sat up and put a finger to his lips, taking away blood on his hand as he did so. Ron cursed and called Draco some names that he really SHOULDN'T have said in front of his cousin.  
  
"What? I didn't do anything! It was an accident!" Draco claimed.  
  
"Ha! Yeah right! You and everyone else in this room knows you did that on purpose!"  
  
"Oh, and hurt my own arse just to aggravate you?"  
  
"Don't ask me! You're the crazy one!"  
  
"WHAT is going on here?!" Shaylee's voice broke through the arguing. "He tripped me!" Ron burst out.  
  
"Oh, I did not!" Draco cried back. "It was a bloody accident!" (Hehe, no pun intended!)  
  
Professor Weasley looked at both of them skeptically. "Can anyone vouch for this?" She looked around at the room of kids who were all staring at her blankly. Draco's face brightened, knowing that Hermione had seen him fall.  
  
However, as the silence went longer, the smile dimmed and he looked up to see Hermione looking innocently blank, along with the rest of the class.  
  
Professor Weasley crossed her arms and said, "Well, since no one SAW anything and you two can't seem to agree on what happened, I'll have to give BOTH of you detention. TONIGHT!!!"  
  
She skated away, ignoring the protests the two boys were calling out.  
  
After the crowd had dispersed and they had started skating again, Draco turned to Hermione and said, "Why didn't you say something? You saw me fall!"  
  
Hermione looked at him with a look just short of loathing. "If you're at detention, that means I get to swim tonight."  
  
  
  
Ooooooo.. That's all for this chappy, folks! Does Professor Weasley know what she's doing? Is Ron planning Draco's untimely death? (^_^) Does Hermione really loathe Draco? Was she really in the right mind when she told Draco where she was going that night? You'll see on the next chapter of Troubled Waters! (Hehe, actually, I'm thinking of putting a filler chappy in about Shay and Sev instead of the one I've got written about Herm and Draco right now. What d'y'all say? -Wow, that was a hickish accent!--)  
  
Thanks to my lovely five reviewers! Now, I'm hurt! Y'see, I asked for 5 reviews. And I gottem. But only five! No more! No, if that don't hurtcha, I dunno what will! ^_^ I love typing in my native language. ^_^  
  
  
  
Kaitiland13: Wow. Thanks, I'm very grateful for your compliments. Talk about nice!!! ^_^  
  
Lil-spitfire: Heh, notice I used your little television announcer thing up there. ^_^ Yeah, don't worry, he'll get slapped. I'm writing ahead whenever I'm bored in a class, and I think I've figured out where to put a good slap. ^_^  
  
KEL-71E: Thank you! And, yeah maybe just a little young, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind. ^_^ Oh, and I think anyone who has half a brain is obsessed with Draco (well, maybe not the Harry lovers. ^_^)  
  
Kelsey: Wow. Um, no offense, but what were you on when U reviewed this? ^_^ JJ, but I think the compliment was a little too high for me. ^_^ But I'll take it NE way! ^_^ Thank you so much, U don't kno how much that meant to me!  
  
Allee katt: Hehe. Ooo, I wish I was in a pool with him, too. I wonder if Hermione would want to switch me spots. ^_^ Don't I wish! 


	8. This is my domain!

Disclaimer: I won't say it! You can't make me!!!! Hahaaaaahaaaa! Even the great and powerful 'Grease' director can't make me say that I don't own Harry Potter! ...... Doh!  
  
AN: Yeah, about the whole director thing... So I'm not pronouncing a stupid name right... Is that any reason to make fun of me in front of the whole cast... ::mutters under breath:: Stupid arsehole... ^_^  
  
AN2: Yeah, a lot of peeps requested for the filler chappy I was thinking of, so that is what this is!!! ^_^ Haha! ::laughs at those who were waiting to see what would happen between Draco and Hermy:: Well, on to Shay and Sev!!!  
  
  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee skipped down the stairs. She was enjoying the moment. Everything in life was great! She was on her way to her 7th year DADA class, where her two favorite twin cousins were. She had just given two worst enemies detentions for the same night. What was there to ruin her bliss?  
  
Her internal question was answered when she reached the foot of the stairs and turned the corner to look straight into a bodily mass (not gas, you wierdos!!) that just happened to be wearing a Hogwarts Professor's robe. Looking up, her eyes met a pair of coal black ones.  
  
She grinned. "Hey Sevvy-poo!! What in God's great creation are you doing on this end of the school! This is my domain!"  
  
Snape narrowed his eyes and a hand unconsciously ran through his hair (woah, sorry bout that OOC moment there, peeps).  
  
"Had it occurred to you that perhaps, if I was in your 'domain', I might just be looking f-" He was cut off as Shaylee squealed. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands.  
  
Snape looked at her, puzzled. She pointed a finger at his hair. "You washed it! You actually WASHED your trademark!!"  
  
Snape's mouth dropped open. "What in Heaven's name have you been doing?" For some reason, he didn't even seem offended, but instead took a position much like a teenage school boy would when he's trying to impress a girl, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.  
  
Shay grinned and also leaned on the wall. "Well, firstly, I just gave two complete enemies detention for the same night!" Snape grinned. "Ooo... Fiendish... You know, you just might get along fine here, after all, Weasley..."  
  
Shaylee frowned at him. "Still using the last name, are we?" she asked, her eyes mockingly narrowed. "Why don't you just call me Shay, like everyone else does?"  
  
Snape shrugged, and stepped back a step, while straightening up (which Shay didn't miss). "Well, I prefer to keep professional relationships with my colleagues."  
  
Shay nodded, one eyebrow arched and with a small grin on her face. "So, why is it that I've heard you call Madame Pomfrey 'Poppy' and McGonagall 'Minerva'?"  
  
Snape glared back at her, seeing that she was catching on. "Innocent slips, I'm sure... Shaylee." Shaylee smiled when she heard her first name. Winking at him, and getting ready to carry on to her classroom, she said, "Well, work on it... Severus. It's Shay, not Shaylee."  
  
Half an Hour later:  
  
Professor Severus Snape was sitting at his desk in his Potions classroom, carefully monitoring his students' actions. He had to make sure they put everything in the cauldron correctly. If they didn't, they'd have to test the potion in front of the whole class, for sure.  
  
A smirk came on his face as he watched Longbottom pick up an ingredient that didn't have to be added for another ten minutes. The smirk faded, however, when there was a cough from the back of the room and Longbottom set the ingredient back down.  
  
He briskly stood up and walked over to where Hermione Granger sat, with Longbottom a row over and two seats up from her.  
  
"Miss Granger," he said, smirking triumphantly at having caught her at something. "Though I must admit, your secret code is quite impressive, and must have been very thought through," he said sarcastically. "I still would appreciate you leaving Longbottom to his OWN devices, even though it might mean my precious room being set on fire."  
  
Maybe, if he hadn't said those words, Snape's whole day would have been a lot less complicated. However, he did, so it just seemed logical that at that moment, Neville's cauldron burst into flames.  
  
He had just turned around to see what was happening behind him, when Hermione's wand stuck out and whispered a spell to extinguish the flames.  
  
All he saw when he turned around was a room full of teenagers who were smiling at him innocently and a steaming caldron. "What in the world...."  
  
"Nothing, Professor! Just doing our work!" Hermione said, sitting back down at her caldron and not making eye contact with Snape.  
  
Snape took one more glance around the room, then looked back at Hermione. "You're a very good liar, Miss Granger. Just, try not to make a habit of it."  
  
He walked back up to his desk, then stopped as he reached it, realizing that he'd just complimented a Gryffindor. It might have been on her lying ability, but it was still a compliment!  
  
Wow, he needed out of this room. He was getting cheerful. WAY too cheerful for his comfort. And whose fault was it?  
  
Well, he'd fix this. First, he needed to get out of this part of the castle. He'd go over to the other side. To someone else's domain.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile:  
  
Shay was up in front of her DADA class, joking around with her class. She had just caught one of her 7th year Slytherins writing a love letter and was reading certain excerpts out loud.  
  
"-and the way you... oh my.... um.... yeah, makes me.... wow... Well, then... Fred? George? Talk about--" "BAD TASTE!" all three of them finished in unison. Shaylee laughed. "Ah, good times. Good times..." She shook her head and handed the letter back to the student (who was severely blushing), and saw that her whole class was staring at the door.  
  
She turned to see Severus Snape standing there, staring at her with a look as if he seemed he was surprised he was even standing there.  
  
George leaned over to whisper something to his twin as Shay grinned. "Well, if it isn't my old buddy, Sevvy! What brings you over to my domain?"  
  
She cockily sat on the side of her desk as Snape narrowed his eyes at her, knowing that she was just trying to embarrass him in front of her class.  
  
"Well, SHAY," he said grinning, purposely out of character. 'Ha! Two can play at this game!' "I just need to talk to you for a moment."  
  
"Well, speak boy!" "Uhhuh..." Snape nodded at her insanity. "I meant that I need to talk to you in PRIVATE."  
  
There was a snicker from Lee Jordan (who was sharply elbowed by Fred) as Shaylee blushed and followed Snape out of the door, having a complete mood change as soon as she exited the room.  
  
"What exactly do you think you're doing here?" Shaylee demanded. Snape grinned. "Why, Shaylee, I thought ittle Pwafessow wanted to pway..."  
  
Shaylee stopped as she stared at him. "Oh my God... I've created a bloody monster!!" Snape laughed, but then sobered.  
  
"It's your fault, you know. You're right, you did create a monster...." He shrugged his shoulders and a frown came back on his face. "I had to leave my class, because I actually complimented a Gryffindor..." He shuddered as if the thought were unbearable.  
  
Shaylee laughed and shook her head. "Sevvy, you are one strange cookie!" She grinned. "But, I can change that! Don't worry, Sevvy! Soon, your little 'Pure Evil Coming Through' charade will be replaced with a little 'Haha! I'm the class clown and everybody loves me!' charade!" She winked at him, trying to make him laugh.  
  
Instead of making him laugh, however, it had the opposite effect. His face turned grim.  
  
"I've always hated class clowns. Ever since my 6th year." Shaylee crossed her arms. "I take offense to that!" She paused. "But, why in the world would you hate them? EVERYBODY should love a class clown!" Snape shook his head and laughed as if something were extremely ironic.  
  
"I was absolutely head over heels for this girl... And I think she might've liked me too..." Shaylee listened carefully, and tried to withstand from entering weird comments.  
  
"But, there comes the class clown... Everybody loved him. Top grades, great sense of humor. Hell, a couple of teachers even had a crush on him!" He looked away from Shaylee, who was staring at him, stunned that he was talking to her. "And, of course... He just sweeps her off her feet and she's starstruck..."  
  
Snape averted his eyes and said in a low tone, "I've never had that effect on a girl..."  
  
He stared up at Shaylee. "And, I've never had the same feeling since then..." He opened his mouth to continue, then stopped.  
  
"Well, I guess everyone loves a class clown, you're right. I'm sure you know that, firsthand... Well, good day, Professor. I must get back to my class, before Longbottom sets it on fire again."  
  
With that, he turned and left, leaving Shaylee staring after him, extremely confused.  
  
  
  
Wow! Now, that is what I call a short chapter! ^_^ Sorry it wasn't as funny as usual. Personally, I thought it moved too quickly, was too short, not funny enough, and had everyone WAY OOC. Oh, and a cookie to anyone who can guess who the girl is that Snapie fell for in school!! ^_^ Thanks to all reviewers!  
  
  
  
Lil-spitfire: Hehe, yeah, his slap is lurking in the near future... Well, here's the Sev and Shay thingy, but I think it might've moved their relationship a little too fast. Yeah, some more of the FUNNY romance stuff will be coming sometime in the near future.  
  
Silly me: Hehe... Yeah, now that I read the poem, it does seem kinda... like I was taking anything that rhymed, basically.  
  
Allee katt: Ummmm... Well, the news isn't encouraging for your psychic abilities, but U R kinda close... I'll try to get that chappy up soon.  
  
Hedwig7up: Heck yeah! If Draco was in my PE class, I'd have absolutely no problem with it!  
  
Aniron Sauron Greenleaf-Took: Yeah, I got the name off of babynames.com and that is another way to spell it. ::whimpers:: I want your name! But no! I'm stuck with one of the top 10 for my year! Kinda confusing when I'm at school and there are ten billion other 'Ashley's' running around! 


	9. Getting Comfy in the Pool

Disclaimer: I'm too tired to think of any way to convince all of you that I will never say I don't own HP!  
  
AN: Gah, guess what everybody? My director decided that it was too immoral for Vince Fontaine to go after Marty in the play (since we put it on for the Elem. Schools in the county), but he decided to put it in a romantic pursuit of Miss Lynch (me) instead. Unfortunately, my best friend's brother plays him and I have to kiss the idiot! I mean, I know it's all in the name of acting (and I have no problem with that) but there's also the little fact that "my guy" is in the play, and just happens to be standing right behind us when we're supposed to be kissing. Of course, it's nice to see that he's jealous, but still, it's bugging me. ::frowns:: Not only that, but I embarrassed myself when we were doing the dance scene and I was trying to dance (we'd never done that part of the scene before) and he was standing right by me. Do I need remind U all that we're going to the Semi- formal together? And I'm trying to dance to basically elevator music that I've never heard before with a guy that annoys the heck out of me and he's watching! OMG! It was so embarrassing! Well, this AN is long, so I'll leave y'all alone now!  
  
AN2: (COOKIE WINNERS!!!!!) OK, the cookie winners are: lil-spitfire, Principessa Squish Aldkivina, and allee kat (sorry I kept spelling your name with 2 T's. I guess it's just habit; that's how my friend spells her name). Abigfan, unfortunately, got it wrong, though I will say that her guess will come to effect and have something to do with the future plot (and she actually gave me the idea, so she gets half of a cookie) And if y'all wanna know what's gonna happen in the future, ask my sis (the Squish chic up there ^) because after she guessed, I told her most of the plot. Hehe. I couldn't help it! Sorry! But, look at it this way. If I ever get Writer's Block (aka the plague) and I come back to the story, there will be someone else telling me what I was gonna write. ^_^ But feel free to bug her! Um, any1 else get the feeling that my AN's are waaaaay too long?  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione wrapped the fuzzy blue towel around her and walked through the gym to the pool.  
  
She cautiously opened the door, though she knew he obviously wouldn't be there. Confirming her thoughts, she saw there was absolutely no one in the pool area.  
  
Walking in, she dropped her towel on the bench and made her way to the diving board. Halfway up the ladder, she paused and looked out across the pool. The water was still, excepting the movement in and out of the filters, and the only sound was the soft hum they made. Even with these sounds, they were both very rhythmic, creating a sleepy feeling throughout the room.  
  
She stood on the diving board and raised her arms high above her head. She then jumped off, landing smoothly into the water. She bobbed back up, smiling triumphantly.  
  
She raced back to the ladder out of the pool so that she could get back on the diving board. However, as soon as she grabbed the sides of the ladder, she stopped dead.  
  
There, on the side on the pool was a pair of feet. Looking slowly up, she immediately knew who it was when she saw the giveaway pattern on the swimming trunks. She kept looking and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw Draco Malfoy, complete with green, snake patterned swim trunks and a mixed look on his face.  
  
She closed her eyes and breathed deep, aggravated. "How and WHY are you here?" she asked calmly.  
  
"Professor Weasley let me go when she heard what I had to do," he answered in a voice quite unlike his own.  
  
" What's that?" Hermione kicked herself off of the wall, propelling herself several feet from him. Draco looked at her with an undistinguishable emotion in his eye. He then jumped into the pool, startling her.  
  
He moved swiftly to Hermione and grabbed her arm, stopping her from backing away.  
  
"Why do you hate me?" he asked softly, trying to look in her eyes, though she had her face turned away.  
  
"Hate YOU?" Hermione repeated furiously. "Why do YOU hate ME?"  
  
Draco took a step away in surprise, but held tight to her arm. "I don't. I thought you'd have realized it by now."  
  
Hermione blushed and turned away again. "I haven't an idea what you're talking about."  
  
Draco's eyes narrowed and his normal voice came back. "Oh, you've forgotten it, have you?!" He let go of her arm. "I gave you too much credit. I thought you'd be the type to remember something like that."  
  
He turned away to hide the look on his face, which just happened to be a devious smile. 'Go Draco! That's the ticket! Father will have his little prize!'  
  
He constrained his face and whipped back around. "I haven't stopped thinking about that kiss since the millisecond it happened!"  
  
That, at least, was true. At first, he was wondering what the hell he was thinking. Then, he'd had a revelation that the kiss was not only allowed to happen, but was SUPPOSED to happen. Then, the thing that came to mind, was a most disturbing thought. That small, but powerful, electric charge that had happened on that first kiss. For the past few days, he had dismissed that thought and had instead concentrated on getting Hermione back on his side.  
  
Draco stepped closer. "Do you think I HAVEN'T been confused?" Hell yes, he was confused.  
  
"Do you think I HAVEN'T told myself I need a psychiatrist?" Yes, he'd told himself this many times; sometimes he's told himself he was crazy for wanting to give Hermione to his father, and in turn to Voldemort, which would eventually harm Hermione. Some times it was because he had actually thought these thoughts. He had to be crazy for even having a fleeting thought of disobeying his father!  
  
"I'VE BEEN TELLING MYSELF TO BLOODY FORGET YOU EVER SINCE THAT NIGHT!" Not true, but it sounded good.  
  
His voice softened. "But how can I forget someone who enters my mind without me even noticing it? I could be thinking of anything that reminds me of you."  
  
Hermione looked at him long enough to retort, "Even a monkey?"  
  
"Well," Draco began, attempting to lighten the moment. "A monkey reminds me of Weasley, and then I think of you."  
  
Hermione looked back up at him. "Just go, please. I-Just GO!"  
  
Draco really got up in her face. "Still can't remember?" His free hand went up to hold her cheek softly and his voice softened again.  
  
"I'll make sure you remember it this time. I'll make sure you remember this for the rest of your life."  
  
And with that, he leaned in and gave her a slow, soft kiss. He, still having the doubt about using Hermione, let go of her arm, leaving the outcome up to her, though he kept kissing her.  
  
As soon as her arm was released, Hermione reached up to push him away from her, but the moment her hand touched his bare chest, a warm feeling shot through her whole body. Instead of pushing away, her arms reached around and linked behind his neck, bringing him closer.  
  
Chills ran down Draco's spine as he processed Hermione's reaction. He broke the kiss long enough to whisper, "Thank you," before kissing her again. Whether the thanks was for making his mission easier, or for actually kissing him, he wasn't sure.  
  
Over at the slightly open door, there was a giggle and a triumphant sigh before the door closed.  
  
As Draco heard the door softly shut, a thought entered his mind, 'This is actually very nice.'  
  
  
  
R/R!!! Hehe! I know; I ruined the romantic part with all of the stupid comments! But don't you see!? It wasn't supposed to be that romantic! The REAL romantic stuff is coming later on! You guys just hafta wait for Draco to get some sense knocked into him (which I fully intend to have happen) Hehe. U'll just hafta wait and see what I mean by that! ^_^  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Thanks to my lovely reviewers! Moose Tracks to everyone!!!  
  
Lil-spitfire: This is your official ::~Cookie~:: (with extra chocolate chips, of course!) Yes, I know, Snape was weird. Hehe, but hey, U gotta luv him!  
  
Principessa Squich Aldkivina: Lish, if I spelled Ur darned name wrong, screw U! ^_^ And yes, showoff, you also get a cookie. But only a plain, burnt one! (To everyone else: I can be mean, she's my older sister and I can still beat her up! Hehe)  
  
Abigfan: Gosh, I hafta thank U! U gave me the best idea in the world! I can't exactly tell U what it is, but if U email me, I'll give U the gist of it, if U wanna know. But, THANK YOU!!!!  
  
KEL-71E: Hehe. The guy is great, just a little jealous! ^_~ And thanks; I'm trying, but sometimes I get a little too wrapped up in all of my activities to make it very detailed or to post it very quickly. Luckily, tho, my flute contest is this Saturday, so that's one less thing I have to practice for!  
  
Allee kat: Yes, you also get a ::~Cookie~:: Have fun! Get some milk to dunk it in! And thank U, Ur review helped me be a little more secure with that chappy! 


	10. Peel banana, peel peel banana!

Disclaimer: Go away and leave me alone, all of you people who think I own HP!!!  
  
AN: I'm sorry it took a while to get this up. I've been sick ever since I last posted! And, it sucks! And I can't breathe, or talk, or LAUGH (which could either be the end of the world, or the cause of a lot of pain for me) without ending up in hacking coughs. Luckily, though, I'm healthy enough to type now, so here we go! (Had a wonderful Valentine's Day, btw. But we won't get into that, just to save time. The dance was postponed cuz of a stupid storm, but otherwise, it was great!)  
  
Hermione woke up the next morning. There was a happy feeling inside her, but she didn't know why.  
  
Then, she remembered. Draco. She smiled at the thought of him.  
  
Suddenly, she frowned. Harry and Ron still didn't know about them. What if they found out?  
  
Firstly, they'd make her go to the nurse, claiming she'd gotten brainwashed. Then, after they found out it was true, they (along with the rest of Gryffindor) would probably ignore her.  
  
However, the chances of them finding out were very slim.  
  
Last night, Draco and her had come up with a plan so that it would be possible to keep their relationship a secret.  
  
They would act like everything was the same while in public, ignoring each other. Then, every day, in between the end of classes and dinner, they'd go to the Swimming Pool where they'd meet and HOPEFULLY be alone.  
  
It was a foolproof plan.... She hoped.  
  
*~*~**~*~*  
Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table beside Harry and Ron. Glancing quickly over to the Slytherin table, she saw that Draco was already seated and was talking to Pansy Parkinson.  
  
Ron followed her gaze to see Draco. His eyes narrowed and Hermione immediately looked away.  
  
"The bastard skived off detention last night. Shay even let him go. Dunno what the asshole had to do, but it was probably either a prank or a girl. Shay wouldn't let anyone out of detention for anything else."  
  
A guilty pang entered Hermione's face and she nervously looked down at her breakfast.  
  
"But then, the damn Slythershit couldn't get any girl other than two ton Pansy over there, so it must've been a prank," Ron said, shrugging. Hermione blushed deeply, but refrained from replying.  
  
He then looked suspiciously at his juice. "Don't drink it, Herm. It's probably some potion that turns you into a giant banana!"  
  
Hermione looked at him blankly. "There's a potion that turns you into a giant banana?"  
  
Ron looked at her, surprised. "Of course! It's one of those transfiguration potions! It's called the Citrusion Potion!"  
  
"Uh huh." Hermione nodded, crossing her arms. "And how exactly is it that you know this, and I don't?" "Umm.."  
  
Hermione stood up, as to intimidate him. "Whose drink did you put it in, Ron?" "Um.. Well.." Ron darted a nervous glance towards the Slytherin table.  
  
Hermione followed his gaze to where he was looking. Right at Draco Malfoy. Her mouth fell open and she turned to Ron.  
  
"You didn't.."  
  
Ron looked at her guiltily while Harry snickered and turned away to talk to Fred and George about that night's Keeper try-outs.  
  
Hermione's eyes darted back to the Slytherin table. Her heart almost leaped into her throat when she saw Draco coolly pick up his untouched juice glass. (wow, he just has a record of eating his breakfast coolly, doesn't he?)  
  
"DON'T DRINK--" she cried across the room as he put the glass to his lips. "-that.." she finished lamely as he sipped at his juice.  
  
Almost the whole Hall turned to look at her while she stared at Draco anticipatedly.  
  
Five seconds passed and she heard Ron groan and mutter, "Shit." She looked back at him. "What?"  
  
"I must've brewed it wrong. It should have worked by now.."  
  
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the Lo-"  
  
She stopped when she heard a loud, frequent popping, like the sound of a popcorn bag, coming from the other side of the Hall, where the Slytherin table was located.  
  
There was a sudden, stunned silence and Hermione slowly turned on her heel, already knowing what was coming.  
  
And, of course, there Draco was standing, in his glorious.. fruitiness..  
  
A loud spitting noise came from the teacher's table, as Professor Weasley spit out her milk, making no effort to hold back her loud, obnoxious laughs.  
  
Following her example, the rest of the Great Hall burst out into laughter.  
  
Hermione stared at him, her hand covering her smiling mouth. Finally, she let out a small giggle. Eventually, that giggle turned into a loud laugh.  
  
The laughs immediately ceased as Professor Snape stormed down the stairs to the Slytherin table. The only remaining laughter was coming from Shaylee, who was cackling and gasping for air.  
  
Even she, however, stopped when Snape bellowed, "WEASLEY!!!" at the top of his lungs as he reached the dumbfounded Draco.  
  
Immediately, there were five, "It wasn't me!"s echoing throughout the Hall.  
  
He glared right at the Gryffindor table skeptically. "Right. And I'm the bloody Queen of England."  
  
Shaylee immediately stood up and walked briskly towards him. "Well, it's a great honor to meet your acquaintance, Your Highness." She did a fake curtsy, then turned to the Gryffindor table, ignoring Snape's glare.  
  
"OK, kiddies. I do believe we've gotten ourselves in a wee spot of trouble. Follow me." She gestured to all of her cousins. "Oh, you can stay, Gin-gin. We all know you didn't do anything!" She grinned at her, then winked as she led the whole party out the door.  
  
She turned to see Snape still standing there besides the ba-.. I mean, Draco. "Well?" she prompted. "Are you going to come and yell at us or are you just going to stand there and stare at your fruity little friend all day?"  
  
Snape glared at her. "Coming, Weasley." "Still at that, are we? Wow, some people never fully mature.." Snape ignored her comments as he put a spell on a protesting Draco to levitate him to the Infirmary.  
  
The sight of a floating banana did nothing to calm the rest of the students OR teachers (Professor Dumbledore found the picture quite amusing) down. As Snape led a levitating Draco out of the Hall, there were many giggles coming from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.  
  
This, obviously, didn't do much to calm Draco down, either. He had been silent for the past few minutes, ever since his.. accident, probably from shock.  
  
As he was being floated out of the Great Hall, however, a stream of words that weren't exactly for First Years' ears came out of his mouth.  
  
Out in the hallway, Shaylee beckoned for Fred and George to come closer to her. "Did you guys do it?" she whispered, grinning.  
  
"I wish! That was brilliant!" Fred looked ecstatic.  
  
Shaylee looked confused. "But, wait...... If you guys didn't do that, who did? I sure as hell wish I had, but you know I can't, since I'm a teacher."  
  
"Well......" George looked thoughtful. "We DID loan our "Pranks and Potions" book to someone the other day......" "And it probably had something about the Citrusion Potion in there," Fred added.  
  
"So, you didn't DO anything, you just loaned the book to someone?" Shaylee asked, grinning triumphantly. The twins nodded, looking at her oddly.  
  
"Yes! Great! Therefore, it is still YOUR fault, your prank, your creativity at work, and all that jazz....... But the responsibility isn't yours!!!"  
  
George raised an eyebrow. "Well, Shay, the person we loaned the book to is...... um...... well......"  
  
"Me. Great, wasn't it?" Ron, who had been standing there listening to them, finally joined the conversation.  
  
Shaylee looked up at him, astonished. "Ron? Do a prank that's FUNNY?!?" "Hey! That's not funny, Shay!" "Well, we're even, then!" Shaylee declared grinning. Ron rolled his eyes while the twins laughed.  
  
"OK, so Ron's admitting it? Great!" Fred clapped George on the arm and they made their way back to the Great Hall, leaving Ron grinning innocently at his cousin.  
  
Shaylee, for once, wasn't smiling. "So...... Ronald......" "Hi, Sha- er, Professor Weasley. How's your day going?"  
  
Shaylee glared at him. "Well, it was great, until a certain cousin of mine decided to pull a prank, which I'm perfectly fine with. However, it's a little different when I have to decide on the punishment......"  
  
Ron's mouth fell open and he gulped. "Come on Shay!! It was just a joke! Harmless! It'll take less than 24 hours for him to get back to normal!"  
  
Shaylee looked down at him skeptically. She sighed. "Now, Ronald, when will you ever learn that the punishment is a lot harder than the actual work put into the prank? At least if the prank took a lot of thinking and hard work, you'd have something to be proud of! But you got the stupid thing from a book! You don't have an invented spell or anything to be proud of!"  
  
Ron looked at her, a side of his mouth twitching. "Holy shit, you're like a mix between mums and the twins!"  
  
Shaylee tried to keep glaring at him, but she started smiling too. "Stop comparing me to Aunt Molly and I'll save your excruciating pain for tomorrow so that you can go to the Quidditch try-outs tonight."  
  
Ron grinned up at her. "Whew! Thanks, Shay! I promise that if I do another prank on that ferret, it'll be original."  
  
Shaylee laughed. "That's my cousin! Just watch out for Snapey-poo. I WILL have to tell him which one of us did it......" Ron looked at her indignantly. "But, Shay-" Shaylee held up her hand. "Don't worry, I'm a teacher; I reserve the right to kick his arse if he acts unfairly."  
  
Ron laughed as he tried to imagine his girlish looking cousin kicking the ass of the "evilest" teacher at the school. "Good luck!"  
OK, guys...... It's soooooo short, but I've got Writer's Block and I know what's going to come next, but I wanted to get this out before U all started to think i was dead... ^_^ Well, thanks to the reviewers and please review! Thanks!  
lil-spitfire: Thanks and thank you so much for waiting!!!  
  
Annabell: Thank you! I love it when people like my stuff! ^_~  
  
abigfan: I've noticed that about my chappies too, but I've been very busy lately. (But Grease is in a few weeks, so I'll be free to write a lot soon!)  
  
Allee kat: Heehee! I luv your reviews! But, don't worry, Draco will not be an asshole for the whole story!!! ^_^  
  
teenage_dirtbag: ::faints at the thought of Draco swimming in my pool:: ^_^ Yeah, that would be nice to have...... 


	11. Yellow Guys Can Be Hot

Disclaimer: Surely thou dost not think I own Harry Potter! Thee must be mentally instable!  
  
AN: Hehe... Sorry about that disclaimer... I just read "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Yeah, I'd give you an update for my life, but I've been gone so long, that there's too much to tell! Sorry it's been SOOOO long, but as you can tell from this chappy, I can't think of anything to write, and this is basically a filler.  
Hermione smiled and waved goodbye as Harry, Ron, and the Quidditch team, along with most of the Gryffindor house left the Common Room for the Quidditch Pitch. It was finally time for the Keeper try-outs and that left the Common Room almost empty. The only students left were a few girls who didn't want to break their nails while playing Quidditch, and the first years, who couldn't try-out because they couldn't have brooms.  
  
Hermione waited five minutes, ample time for the whole house to have left the castle, then gathered her books so that if anyone was watching, it would appear as if she was going to the Library.  
  
As soon as she was out of the Gryffindor Common Room, however, she headed straight down to the Infirmary.  
  
Knowing that Madame Pomfrey was very picky about visitors, Hermione knocked slightly before opening the door.  
  
As soon as she stepped in the room, Madame Pomfrey bustled out of the back. Being everyone's favorite student always paid off. When she saw Hermione standing there, she relaxed. "What can I do for you, dear?" she asked kindly. Hermione smiled.  
  
"Hello, Madame Pomfrey. I believe you received a patient this morning...?"  
  
Madame Pomfrey looked at her inquisitively. "Yes... But I don't believe the person you are looking for is here. The only patient I have is Mr. Malfoy over there." She gestured over to the only occupied bed, which had a closed curtain around it.  
  
"Yes, I know. That's who I'm here to see." "Oh..." Madame Pomfrey looked a little confused.  
  
"Well, go ahead dear. Just, don't bother him very much. He's being rather testy about the whole situation."  
  
"I know. Thank you." Hermione made her way over to Draco's cot, but did not enter until Madame Pomfrey had disappeared back into her lair.  
  
When there was no more sign of the nosy nurse, Hermione swept the curtains around the bed aside so that she could step in. After she had entered, she closed the curtains again.  
  
After that, she finally looked at him. Upon her entrance, he had turned away from her and all she could see was the back of his head.  
  
Madame Pomfrey must have had some experience with this curse before, as he was very far upon the road to recovery. He was almost back to his normal shape, though his head did seem a bit pointed. And he was still the color of a banana. However, considering the circumstances, he was looking quite normal.  
  
"Come now, Draco. I'm sure Ron only meant to embarrass you. He wasn't trying to actually harm you."  
  
There was no response from him, except for an annoyed grunt. Hermione chuckled.  
  
"You remind me of myself when I was little and my older brother used to leave fake spiders in my books and put recordings of scary noises by my window at night. When I figured out it was him, I always sulked for a long time and ignored him."  
  
Draco turned around slowly. "I didn't know you had a brother."  
  
Hermione smiled at him. "He's eight years older than me. Plus, he's a full Muggle." She averted her eyes, as her heritage was still something she was uncomfortable discussing with him.  
  
Noticing her discomfort, Draco sat up on his bed.  
  
"So, do the Wonder Boys know you're here?" he asked, with a teasing smirk on his face, trying to change the subject.  
  
Hermione blushed. "Well, actually, they're at Quidditch try-outs right now, so I thought it'd be a good time to visit."  
  
Draco nodded, while searching her face. Finally, he commented, "Good idea." She blushed again and looked away.  
  
Draco, without thinking, reached over and grasped her hand. The contact made between them jolted Hermione's gaze back to Draco's eyes. And they were held there.  
  
"Hermione... I know that in the past four years, I've been the jackass of Hogwarts and probably your worst enemy..." he began, while thinking, 'And if she knew, I still would be.'  
  
"But, I don't care about the stuff I used to anymore," he urged her. "I don't care about your Muggle half. I don't care about you being in Gryffindor." He paused for dramatic effect, and looked as lovingly as he could get (he might be a good actor, but he wasn't great) into her eyes, which he still held. "I only care about you."  
  
Hermione blushed and Draco felt a twinge of guilt as her eyes grew watery.  
  
"You've changed so much," Hermione croaked, and she cleared her throat. "You've become so nice, that it's almost too good to be true..."  
  
Draco felt a tiny surge of panic in his stomach when she said this, but settled down when he realized she couldn't possibly know. She seemed to be waiting for him to say something, so he smiled and said, "Believe it. It's true."  
  
Hermione smiled back as she clasped his hand tighter. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you for changing for me."  
  
It was at that moment that Draco felt, for the first time in his life, the terrible guilt of knowingly hurting someone. And as Hermione laid her head on his chest, he wondered why he had to be doing this to Hermione Granger.  
Grrr! I hate this! It's too short and it moves their relationship too quickly! Grrr! But, I DID need to get something out or I'd feel really bad. So, I know it sucks, but constructive criticism only, PLEASE! Oh, and I think I MIGHT make the next chappy Sev/Shay. ^_^ And, on the plus side, I THINK I know what I'm going to do, so not as long as a wait. R/R!  
THANKS to all my wonderful reviewers!!! I have 50 reviews! Yay! (That's a lot for me!!)  
  
Water demon~ Heehee, thank you SO much. Your review is very inspiring for me to make more pranks! ^_~  
  
Some1~ I know. Now I'm feeling kinda sorry for Draco.  
  
Sparkle-eyed Dreamer~ Thanks you. I love getting reviews like yours. I'll keep writing as long as it is being read.  
  
Angel-kisses~ LOL! I'm glad U like Shay, and I agree with you; Severus will probably be more easygoing if he gets together with Shay. Hehe, and yes, Draco is in the Hospital Wing, but he's not seriously hurt! I promise he'll be as good as new really soon!  
  
DancinBlondeGurl~ Heehee! Thank you. I'm sure Draccy might be a bit offended, tho! ^_^  
  
Abigfan~ Actually, I got it from a friend who's friend does that for a warm up for their plays. I just do it for fun and to make people stare at me. (When you do such things in the middle of a crowded school hallway, you tend to be stared at. You also tend to get visits from the school counselor. ^_~) 


	12. Getting Caught

Disclaimer: You know, I just got home from a school trip to DC, and I was really happy to see my house. But, you see, my house is quite normal. It's just a plain, two story white house. It's not a mansion. Maybe, if I owned Harry Potter, I WOULD live in a mansion somewhere in Scotland. However, I don't. ^_^  
  
AN: This is the turning point of Sev/Shay's relationship! Yay! Well, one of em. It might hafta do with Draccy/Herm too, but I'm not sure yet.  
Shaylee sat in the teachers lounge. She appeared to be listening intently to what Dumbledore was saying, but she was really watching "Sevvy" (who was sitting beside her) listen intently.  
  
She'd gotten the basics of what he was saying. She didn't need to know every little detail, she defended herself when she chided herself for staring at Sevvy.  
  
Basically, a new 7th year had just moved to their district so he was being sorted in front of the teachers, and not the students. After telling them this, the headmaster had gone in on the new student's whole life history.  
  
Shaylee found this a bit boring, so she watched Snape, who evidently thought it was interesting. Watching someone listen was also quite boring, so Shaylee took it upon herself to liven up the meeting.  
  
Sitting up straight and looking right at Dumbledore, Shaylee administered a sharp stomp on Snape's left foot.  
  
He turned to look at her, but she was looking totally innocent and listening to the headmaster speak. Snape let it slide.  
  
Then, however, there was a second stomp. His foot was starting to hurt. He looked around and saw a smile playing on Shaylee's lips.  
  
Rolling his eyes, he retaliated by lightly kicking her foot. Nothing happened, so he started listening again.  
  
He jumped as a stockinged foot came up the leg of his pants and started caressing his leg, making his pants grow a bit tighter in a certain area.  
  
He moved his legs away and glared at her smirking face.  
  
Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Snape decided to do the same to her.  
  
Acting perfectly normal, he reached over and ran his finger up and down her leg, causing her to jump and her cheeks to color.  
  
"And if Professors Snape and Weasley will care to rejoin us, I'll go get the young man."  
  
Professor Snape's face turned beet red. He felt like a teenager getting caught snogging in an empty classroom again.  
  
Shaylee giggled as Dumbledore left with a twinkle in his eye. She put her arm on Snape's shoulder and leaned on him.  
  
"You're quite a flirt for such a serious guy, Sevvy."  
  
"Get off of me, Weasley, and DON'T CALL ME THAT!"  
  
Shaylee grinned at him. "So, Sevvy, do ya want the new laddie in the 'Great House of Slytherin' or do you care?" she asked, accenting the phrase with finger quotation marks.  
  
"I don't give a shit. Just get the hell off of me, or I'll cry 'Rape'!"  
  
Shaylee raised her eyebrows repeatedly and said, "It's not rape if you want it, Sevvy..." while tickling under his chin.  
  
Snape rolled his eyes and wrenched away from her.  
  
Shaylee stuck her tongue out at him and said, "I just hope he's really hot......"  
  
Snape cocked an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "You would, Weasley. Don't you think he'd be a tad young for you?"  
  
"Hey! I'm only 26! A 17 year old isn't THAT young. That's the same difference between you and me!"  
  
Snape rolled his eyes. "But there's no romantic connection between us."  
  
Shaylee raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, reeeeeeaaaaaally?"  
  
She fake pouted. "That hurts, Sevvy. Right! Here!" she said, emphasizing her words by pounding where her heart was.  
  
"Good," Professor Snape said dryly and looked up as the door opened.  
  
Professor Dumbledore was standing next to a grinning boy with wavy, brown hair. He was lanky and had Muggle clothing on under his unbuttoned school robes.  
  
"Hooooooooly shit!" Shaylee muttered under her breath. "He better NOT be in Slytherin!"  
  
Severus looked over at her, ready to make a sarcastic remark, and felt a pang of annoyance as he noticed her eyes looking up and down, scanning the new boy's body.  
  
He, for one, hoped to God that this new student would be sorted into Slytherin, because he knew that any Weasley on this earth would refuse to date a Slytherin.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Professors and staff, I'd like to introduce Scott Ellis, our new student."  
  
Scott continued to grin, as he looked at each of the professors. "It's great to be here." He said politely.  
  
His gaze stopped on Shaylee and his grin grew even wider. Shaylee grinned back and mouthed, 'Good luck,' as he took a seat.  
  
"Professor McGonagall, would you please do the honors?" Dumbledore asked, handing her the hat.  
  
McGonagall walked over to where Scott was sitting. As she placed the hat down on Scott's head, it almost looked like it squirmed uncomfortably. But, it was a hat, and hats don't squirm.  
  
As they watched and waited for the Sorting Hat to make its decision, Snape repeated in his head, "Anything but Gryffindor...... Anything but Gryffindor......" Until, he realized the reason for which he was doing this and stopped.  
  
Finally, the Sorting Hat made its decision. "GRYFFINDOR!!"  
R/R and don't kill me! I swear, its all a part of my plan! I will not hurt poor lil Sevvy again!  
  
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers! They brought me back from the dead! I cannot believe how fast I am updating, and I even have a synopsis about Anne Frank to write! Reviews can work miracles! Remember that! If you ever want me to update really fast, just review! I love em!!! THANK YOU!!!  
  
Draco'sLover: Thank you so very much!! I hope you'll continue to enjoy it!  
  
Girl-named-Belle: He'll be swimming soon, don't worry. I'm gonna put in some of his and Hermione's little meetings. Plus, Shay DID say they'd be getting to swim soon!  
  
BrightEvenstar: ::sigh:: Yes, Draco is evil...... I'm very disappointed in myself for having to make him evil! ^_^ But do not fear! He will come to his senses soon!  
  
DiOsA4u: Heehee, thanks! And thanks for the summary too! I can't wait until it comes out! I'm spending the night at the Barnes and Nobles and when I get it, I'm gonna start reading it and I won't stop for ANYTHING!! (Even the bathroom! LOL, maybe I'll just hafta read it in the bathroom then...) ::wrinkles nose:: 


	13. Oscar Meyer Wiener I wish I was Hermione

Disclaimer: ::Sigh:: When I looked outside this morning, I saw a bunch of fields that will soon hold a bunch of corn. Yep, I'm stuck in the middle of "Cornville", Indiana, just about the farthest thing from Scotland you can get. This means, of course, that I do NOT own HP!  
  
AN: Oops! Sorry, guys. I know I promised a quick update and U can all realize that that was an unintentional lie. It's not my fault that my moose stole my muse and took it to the masseuse! Oh, and just for the record, please note BEFORE you read this chappy, that I REALIZE I'm no good at writing kissing scenes. I'm sorry! I'm only 14, people!!!  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
As they watched and waited for the Sorting Hat to make its decision, Snape repeated in his head, "Anything but Gryffindor...... Anything but Gryffindor......" Until, he realized the reason for which he was doing this and stopped.  
  
Finally, the Sorting Hat made its decision. "GRYFFINDOR!!"  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Snape's hopes of ever getting close to Shaylee crashed as he looked over at her and saw her grinning at Scott who was also grinning triumphantly.  
  
"Congratulations, kiddo!" Shaylee said, standing up and playfully slugging him on the arm. "That's the best house there is."  
  
Scott laughed and Shaylee's eyes brightened. "Thanks." He paused and looked at her inquisitively. "Are you the Head Girl or something? You aren't part of the staff."  
  
Shaylee giggled and blushed. "Actually, I'm the PE and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm new here......"  
  
This made Scott's attitude change a little. "Oh, sorry. You look so young!"  
  
Shaylee's smile seemed a little forced now. "I'm only 26!"  
  
"Oh," Scott said, appearing to loosen up a little. "Cool! It'll be fun to have a young teacher that I can relate to."  
  
Shaylee grinned and Snape painfully blocked their conversation out as she started telling Scott about the twins.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione slipped through the door to the Pool quietly and looked around. Luckily, it was empty. So far, hers and Draco's meeting wouldn't be interrupted. Then again, Draco wasn't there yet, either, so she had a while to wait.  
  
Shedding her towel on its usual spot, she jumped in the pool, causing water to go all over the place. Bobbing up, she grinned and looked around, trying to clear her eyes.  
  
At that moment, the door opened and Draco slipped in, staring at the water all over the floor. "Ummmm, riiiiiight...... Having a little fun, are we?" He had the sudden urge to authentically laugh, the first time in months.  
  
Hermione grinned sheepishly at him. "Just a little overenthusiastic." She paused and looked him over. "I see you're all better now."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes sarcastically. "I'm completely human, now!" "Awww, I think I'm gonna miss that splendid color scheme you had going on there!" Hermione teased.  
  
Draco couldn't hold his laugh in anymore. "Oh, you'll pay for that one!" He backed up to run and jump into the pool, landing right next to and soaking Hermione.  
  
She shrieked happily. When the water settled, she looked at him through the hair that had fallen in front of her face with an accusatorial glare.  
  
Draco laughed again. "You look like a drowned rat!" he teased. Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Ooooo, you'll wish you didn't say that!!" Hermione caught him off guard and splashed him, making HIM look like a drowned rat.  
  
Draco gasped indignantly and splashed back. Soon, water was going everywhere and they were both laughing and gasping for air, getting closer to each other each second.  
  
Suddenly, caught up in the flying water, Hermione tackled him and pulled him under water. They swirled around together, clinging tightly to each other.  
  
When they appeared above water, they were nose to nose and gasping for air. Draco looked in Hermione's eyes and found himself wandering at the complexity of her eyes, a deep brown with a splash of hazel around the pupil.  
  
Looking straight into her eyes, Draco leaned in and their lips met, greeted by the familiar shock.  
  
She snaked her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, making Draco lose himself in the kiss. Finally, with a feeling of guilt, Draco softly pulled away.  
  
Bringing her close so that their noses were touching again, he whispered, as if anything louder would break the magic they'd put on the whole room, "As much as I'd like to continue this, we DO have to get to dinner on time, or people will start to get suspicious."  
  
Hermione giggled and sighed. "I suppose you're right."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table besides Ron and Harry, the latter of whom smiled at her and asked her what she'd been up to.  
  
"We hardly see you after classes anymore, Hermione. You must really be studying hard." Hermione tried her hardest to look scolding. "Well, O.W.L.s ARE this year, you know. YOU should start to study too......"  
  
Harry looked a little relieved, which worried Hermione a bit.  
  
Dumbledore stood up, cutting into her thoughts. "Excuse me students, I have a few announcements to make."  
  
The Great Hall became quiet and Professor Dumbledore began, "First of all, we have received a new student." There was excited chatter throughout the whole Hall.  
  
Dumbledore waited for the talking to stop, then continued, "He was born in America, but is Scottish. Because of unfortunate circumstances, he now lives with his Great- Uncle in Ireland." Dumbledore chuckled. "So, basically, he's a little bit of everything."  
  
There were a few laughs at his joke, but most of the people were waiting for him to introduce him. However, Dumbledore, probably sensing this, just kept talking.  
  
"He was Sorted upon his arrival this afternoon. Now, if the young man will just come out..." he said, in way of a cue.  
  
The door beside the High Table opened and out walked Scott.  
  
Dumbledore smiled warmly at him. "I'd like to introduce, Scott Ellis, 7th year Gryffindor."  
  
He got applause from every house; even some Slytherin girls clapped for him. The loudest was the Gryfifndors, of course, always happy to have someone join them.  
  
Scott grinned and headed down to the Gryffindor table, where the group of 7th year boys (Fred, George, and Lee) enthusiastically motioned for him to join them.  
  
Dumbledore waited for the applause to die down, then began again. "The last announcement I have to make this evening is that, because of the success the Yule Ball had last year, we have decided to hold a Masquerade Ball on Halloween for 3rd years and up."  
  
The Great Hall was full of either cheers or groans (of 1st and 2nd years, and of certain boys who didn't want to have to find a date).  
  
Dumbledore held his hand up to pause the cheering. "Just in case the younger students, and those who choose not to go to the Ball, might feel a little left out, there will also be four different costume parties in each of the Common Rooms at the same time as the Ball." There were timid cheers as the young students celebrated.  
  
Dumbledore laughed. "To ensure complete fairness for the younger students, no person, unless they are a staff member, may enter upon both events. That is all. More information will be released later."  
  
After the Headmaster had sat down, there was a new buzz of conversation through the Great Hall.  
  
As Shaylee Weasley sat coyly up at the Head Table, Hermione Granger was staring off into space, deep in thought about the Masquerade Ball.  
  
Thanks (as always!) to my wonderful reviewers!! I loooooooooove you all! If it weren't for you, I would have stopped writing a long time ago!  
KEL-71E~ You're back! I was wondering if you forgot about me...... ^_^ But, yeah, that's alright! And thanks a bunch! And, don't worry, my guy was a jerk too. He never really liked me, but he didn't have the guts to tell me. When we were on a cruise at our DC fieldtrip, he didn't dance with me even once; just this one chic he'd liked the whole time. They're going out now, but I'm fine with it now, for two reasons. He's moving halfway across the country, and cuz I've got another one! One problem: He's my best friend...... Ugh.  
  
DiOsA4u~ Ach! You figured me out! Yes, you'll see what Sevvy looks like in trunks (if your imagination is good enough). Oh, oops, sorry I forgot to email U last time. I'll email U as soon as I get this posted. Glad you like!  
  
Prantis~ Heehee! Thanks a lot! And, you haven't seen anything yet!  
  
Girl-named-Belle~ Hehe, there will be times when you'll want to hurt me for making Sevvy sad, but don't worry; in the long run, he'll be the happiest little Professor you've ever seen! (Scary picture, huh?) 


	14. Sleep Tight! Don't let the Werewolves Bi

Disclaimer: I have a terrible, awful, excruciating sunburn. And that's because I went to the Indy racetrack for a field trip, and we were all out of sun block. So, I obviously don't own HP, because if I did, I'd have enough money to have everything I needed in stock, every single day of the year.  
  
AN: Wow! Reviewers; I love you!! U R so nice, and I feel bad for not getting this up very soon. I've been very busy planning a friend's surprise party, and being my mom's slave for Mother's Day, but now that all of that is done, I can write!  
  
AN2: Happy Mother's Day to any moms that would be reading this! Wait....... Um, why is a mom reading this?!? Scary! Um, no offense if one actually IS reading this......  
  
WARNING: As it is probably already clear, this chapter is extremely short. This is because I just wanted to make sure you knew I was alive, for one. Plus, there's something I wanna write in, but it can't be until the next chapter, because it's past their meeting time already!  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Scott sat down by the twins, Lee, Alicia, and Angelina on the couch.  
  
"Your cousin told me about you," he told Fred and George. "By what she said, I'd say we're a lot alike."  
  
Fred and George both grinned while Angelina muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like, "Oh, God, no!"  
  
Scott grinned at Angelina. "Anyway, she said I should definitely get to know you."  
  
"Well, consider yourself one of the gang, mate," George said, thumping him on the back.  
  
"Yep; anyone that Shay likes has to be pretty cool," Fred quipped.  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Shaylee was humming while she put a big red X over a whole side of a worksheet and wrote, 'Do it over again.'  
  
A sudden knock on her office door startled her into stopping, but she immediately smiled and said in a sing-songey voice, "Come in!"  
  
The door opened and Professor Snape's head popped in. "Busy, Weasley?"  
  
Shaylee pointedly ignored him and he sighed. "Alright; if you insist...... Are you busy, Shaylee?"  
  
Shaylee grinned and looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "It depends on whether or not you call making students' lives complete and total Hell doing something."  
  
Severus shrugged with a hint of a smile on his face. "If you're asking me, of course it is!"  
  
"Well, then, yes, I am busy. But, I can spare some time for you. What is it that you need?"  
  
Snape came in and closed the door, taking up his leaning against the wall position again (See Chapter 8).  
  
"Well, I suspect you, along with the rest of the staff, were a little surprised when the Headmaster decided to spring this whole Masquerade Ball on us."  
  
Shaylee grinned. "Well, I must admit, I had no idea that there was going to be one, but I think it's a rather pleasant surprise. A splendid idea!"  
  
She smiled coyly at him. "Is there anything else?"  
  
"Erm....." He appeared to be waging an inner battle with himself. "No," he finally said, looking a little defeated.  
  
"I see. Well, ta ta!" She opened the door and shuffled him out. "Sleep tight! Don't have too many drams about long tunnels and Werewolves!"  
  
"Wha?" Snape spun around. "Who told you abou-" The door shut.  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
It was late, probably about 2:30 AM and there were two boys sitting by a window in their dorm room.  
  
"Should I ask her?"  
  
"I think you should. You heard her last year. Don't you think that was a not-so- subtle hint for you to ask her this year?"  
  
"Well, yes, but she IS a girl."  
  
"So we've established before."  
  
They both laughed under their breath.  
  
"What I mean is that girls can be pretty fickle. She might have meant it last year, but not this year......"  
  
"I see what you mean, but she's not really like that, is she?"  
  
"Well, still, I just don't know."  
  
"Just go for it. You won't know until you talk to her."  
  
"Alright, thanks. I'll do that tomorrow, I guess..."  
  
"Good."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Dun dun duuuuuuuuun! I told you it was short! And, yes, there WAS a reason you didn't see any names in the last conversation. Of course, you should have been able to tell who it was. Well, I'll try to get up my little plan soon. The next chappy shall be good, I hope! ^_^ (Knock on Wood--Oliver Wood!)  
  
Thanks to my ever-reviewing reviewers! I LOVE YOU! I bestow Tangerine Sour Altoids upon all of you!! ^_^  
DiOsA4u~ Heehee! That's alright! Hehe, you're review cracked me up. I'm sure Sevvy would be a little scared, though...... ^_^  
  
Wibbles~ Hehe, yeppers! I was REALLY hyper when I wrote that part! ^_^ Thanks!  
  
Water Demon~ Wow! Thanks so much! Reviews like yours are what gets me through the bad times (like when my friend gets caught reading this in Social Studies and he reads part of it out loud...)  
  
Jamie Dee~ I know! Especially this one! I'm mad at myself for making em so short! But, then again, I'm short, so it makes sense..... ^_^ Oh, and that's what is gradually happening. Their turning more like each other. Ugh, scary! ^_^  
  
KEL-71E~ Hehe, good job on the History thingy! And, that's gotta suck about the guy. Ugh, I don't think I could put up with that! And thanks! It's not much, but it's more!  
  
Girl-named-Belle~ UM... ::cough:: Yeah.... He'll be worse... VERY worse.....  
  
Lil-dragon~ You know, I agree with you. They did get together fast. Except, they aren't really TOGETHER yet. Herm just thinks they are. Draco is still using her...... Poor Hermy!  
  
Blue-dreamz~ Thanks a lot! And I'm trying to get more chapters done quickly! School is out for me in 8 school days, so you won't have long to wait for me to start updating quickly again!  
  
Slim-Shady's-Modeling-Baby~ Heehee! Thanks a bunch! There'll be a lot more Sev/Shay on towards the Masquerade Ball and Herm/Draco too.  
  
Tripgrl3~ Heehee. Thanks! I love my banana thing too! And, I'll try and hurry up with the updates from now on. TRY, being the key word, though...  
  
DraconisGirl~ Thanks a bunch! Here's an update, though I'm sure it's not very satisfying, seeing how short it is...... Grrrrrr, I'm mad at myself! I need to get to work on the next chapter, don't I? That'll calm me down!! ^_^ 


	15. Volleyball accidents and a jealous Snape

Disclaimer: There once was a little old man in a small village. Unfortunately, the village did not have very good schooling, so the little old man had grown up not knowing very much, but content with his life. Sadly, the little old man also lacked common sense. Of course, common sense wasn't very common in the tiny little village. However, this little old man STILL knew (when a tourist asked him) that I am NOT JK Rowling!!  
  
AN: I know! You are getting tired of hearing this, but OOPS!! Sorry, school is now over, but I've been loaded down with my sister's graduation stuff, and I got an idea for a new story, and I'm trying to battle all my ideas off until I finish this fanfic. I'm mostly writing at night before I go to sleep, so I'm not typing it on the computer. This means that it takes more time, because I hafta write it, THEN type it.... Well, enough of my excuses! Here we go! (To make up for it, it's longer than usual; still short, just longer)  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee sat on the tip of her desk in front of her 7th year DADA class, watching them put the finishing touches on their group projects.  
  
It appeared that the group of Fred, George, Lee, and Scott was already finished, as they were huddled and discussing something in whispers.  
  
She slid off her desk and quietly walked over to their group, where she put an elbow each on Fred and George's shoulders. "Anything I can help with, lads?"  
  
Lee and Scott looked up at her guiltily while Fred and George grinned.  
  
"Yeah, actually..." George paused and looked at her skeptically. "But, can we trust you?" Shaylee looked at him with her mouth open and her arms crossed. "Can you trust Fred?" she retorted.  
  
George chuckled. "Good point."  
  
Fred looked at him with a fake look of scorn on his face. Shaylee laughed and nudged him playfully.  
  
"OK, what we're trying to do is get this," George pointed to a carefully drawn diagram of the Great Hall. " -over here." He slid his finger over. "Without anyone noticing," Fred added quickly.  
  
"Ah, I know what you can do... Just--"  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee winked and gave the twins a thumbs up for good luck as they left.  
  
When she went around to sit in her swivel chair, she noticed that not all the students had left yet.  
  
Plopping down in her chair and propping her feet on her desk, she grinned amiably at Scott, who was standing in front of her desk.  
  
"What can I get'cha, me lad?" Shaylee asked, tilting her head and winking in such a way that just screamed, 'Kiss me, I'm Irish'  
  
Scott chuckled and blushed. "Well, firstly, may I call you Shaylee outside of class?"  
  
Shaylee shrugged with a taunting smile. "Everyone else does."  
  
"Alright, well then, Shaylee, can you do me a favor?"  
  
"I can," replied Shaylee, stressing the last word.  
  
"But will you?"  
  
"It matters what it is," she answered smugly, taking her feet off of the desk and leaning forward.  
  
Scott chuckled. "Well, would you please ask Professor Dumbledore if it is against the rules for a student to ask a staff member to the ball?" he asked, looking at her meaningly.  
  
Shaylee blushed. "Well, I'd be pleased to check with him this afternoon at lunch."  
  
"Great. Remember to tell me after you've talked to him."  
  
"Of course, but right now, I believe both of us have a class to get to."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee grinned as she skipped up the stairs and down the hall to the gym.  
  
That Scott was so cute, and he had a great troublemaking personality. Plus, he was a great accessory to make Sevvy jealous!  
  
She burst into the gym, where a room full of scattered, already dressed 5th years took her in.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," she apologized, looking at Hermione, knowing she loathed tardiness. "I had to have a conversation with a student."  
  
The fact that she'd just been "reprimanding" a student, seemed to lighten Hermione up a little.  
  
"Anyway, today we're going to spend some time on the Muggle sport of volleyball."  
  
There was, as always, a mixed reaction.  
  
"We'll be playing with teams of nine, as there are 36 people in the class. There'll be two games going on. Luckily, there's just enough room for two games."  
  
Shaylee went on, explaining the rules and rotations to a lot of confused witches and wizards.  
  
Finally, she ssighed and said, exasperated. "OK, I'm just gonna split you into teams and the people who've played it before can explain it when you have problems." She seemed very annoyed and started assigning them to teams.  
  
When she had assigned teams and positions, she waved her wand and there were suddenly two volleyball nets and a wall in between the two games to keep the balls on their sides of the gym. There was only a small break in the wall so that Professor Weasley could keep an eye on both games.  
  
When she gave them the signal to start, there was complete silence as everyone stood there, staring at each other, confused.  
  
"Erm, here... You serve, I think..." Hermione tossed the ball to Seamus, who was standing beside her in the serving spot.  
  
"Uh, hehe... I've only done this once in my life..." Seamus held the ball away from his as if he were scared of it and awkwardly hit it over the net.  
  
It jumped over the net and plopped down on the floor beside Ron, the players all following its movement with their heads.  
  
"Uh, yeah. That's our point. Good job. Your turn to serve again!"  
  
"GO IRISHMAN!!!!" screamed Shaylee from her watching spot. When people turned to look at her, she smiled and waved innocently.  
  
Seamus' next serve went straight to Justin, who hit it right back, where it fell lamely right in front of Draco.  
  
"Um, that's your guys' turn..."  
  
Susan Bones took the ball and bounced it once to check for its quality.  
  
"It's a Muggle born. Watch out..." someone on Hermione's team warned, as the team settled into comical "ready positions".  
  
Unfortunately, the only chance they had against that serve was the lousy attempted volley of Seamus, Hermione and a Ravenclaw half and half.  
  
After that, Susan had four aces and Padma Patil took over, and ended up sending the ball straight into the net. "Oops..." she said, sending the ball over to the other side, as they rotated, Hermione taking the serving spot.  
  
Hermione squeezed the ball nervously and held it away. Her serve was clean and landed on the other side, after Blaise attempted to hit it, but only hitting Neville.  
  
She received the ball again and sent it over to where Ron was, accidentally hitting him on the head. Luckily the ball bounced off his head and landed on the floor.  
  
When they turned around to ask Professor Weasley if it was legal, she was too doubled over with laughter to answer, so they just went on.  
  
Hermione was also laughing when she got ready to serve again. Otherwise, she would have noticed that Draco was right in front of her, and she probably would have told him to duck.  
  
Needless to say, she didn't, and the ball flew straight into Draco's head. Hard. "OWWWWWWWWW!!!"  
  
There was more laughter. This time from everyone that wasn't in the Slytherin House. After all, it wasn't every day that you got to see the King of Slytherin screaming in pain.  
  
Hermione's mouth was wide open. "Oh my God! I'm SOOO sorry!! Are you alright?" She moved towards him, but felt Ron's eyes on her and stopped.  
  
The rest of the game was equally eventful, leaving them with many painful, but hilarious memories.  
  
At the end of the class, Professor Weasley got them all together and told them, "I've learned one thing from this class; If you ever need some laughs, all you have to do is get a bunch of wizards and witches together for a game of volleyball."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
It was lunch time and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting together, laughing about the previous PE class. "Yeah, and I swear, you could have heard the noise for miles!!" Ron joked, laughing about Draco's ailment, causing Harry to chuckle and nudge Hermione jokingly. Hermione blushed. "I didn't mean to, honestly guys..." she said, then quickly added, "--though it WAS hilarious..." They went on with their jibes, though Ron kept glancing up at Hermione with concern on his face.  
  
Shaylee walked in the Great Hall through the door behind the High Table, and walked, happily humming, past her seat to where Dumbledore was chatting with Flitwick.  
  
She waited until he looked up at her and beamed. "Yes, what can I do for you, Professor Weasley?"  
  
She grinned chummily. "Well, I had a student come up to me today and ask me a question, and I need to check with you about it."  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"He wanted to know if a student could ask a staff member to the masquerade ball."  
  
"Ah..." Dumbledore looked perplexed as he leaned back in his seat with his hands folded. "Well, Shaylee, I assume you're talking about Mr. Ellis here..."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, under any other circumstances, I would have to think long and hard about this, but I think that right now, it is best if Scott builds his relations with the students first. Do you understand?"  
  
"Alright. That's fine."  
  
"Besides, I think you have someone else vying for your attention," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye as he looked at her knowingly. Shaylee blushed. "Well, I don't know how that will turn out. He's so stubborn, Headmaster!"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, but I believe you can break him of that, Shaylee!"  
  
They shared a private grin, then Dumbledore said, "Well, be on your way! And if you have any romance problems, you can always come to me! That's what our younger teachers always do! I haven't had any good counseling sessions in a while now!"  
  
Shaylee grinned and walked over to her seat by Snape. "Hi Sevvy," she said coyly as she plopped down on her chair.  
  
"Good afternoon, Shaylee." Shaylee smiled at his use of her first name. "What was it that you had to discuss with Professor Dumbledore?"  
  
Shaylee grinned as a plan formulated in her head. "Oh, I was just asking him something for our charming Mr. Ellis down there at the Gryffindor table."  
  
Snape frowned and said sarcastically, "Oh, do tell..."  
  
"Well, he wanted to know if he could ask a staff member to the masquerade."  
  
All of Snape's movement ceased. "And what did he say?"  
  
"Oh, he said that Scott needed to develop student relations first..."  
  
"Dumbledore's a wise man," Snape said, with a bit of relief in his voice.  
  
"Yes, he is... Now, I only have one problem..." She sighed.  
  
"And what might that be?"  
  
"Getting a date to the ball, of course!"  
  
Snape averted his eyes as he faked a snicker and said sarcastically, "Good luck."  
  
"Well, thank you!" Shaylee said as she stood up gracefully and headed towards the Gryffindor table, Snape's eyes following her.  
  
Shaylee bounced down the steps, perfectly aware that Severus' eyes were on her. She stopped behind the group of Lee, Fred, George, and Scott who were laughing at something.  
  
Scott turned around at her and grinned. "Well?"  
  
Shaylee sighed. "He said you needed to develop relationships with students first."  
  
"Oh." Scott frowned, then smiled. "Well, that's alright! I can get one of my friends from my old school to go if I can't find anyone."  
  
"Good." She grinned, then looked around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned down to address her cousins. "Are you doing it today?"  
  
"Nah. Tomorrow. It isn't quite ready yet."  
  
"OK. Give me a signal when you're ready, and I'll move to the other side of the Hall."  
  
"No!" Fred seemed a little anxious.  
  
"It's alright. Nothing will get on you," George assured, glaring at Fred.  
  
"OK...." Shaylee stood up, looking at them a little warily.  
  
"Go ahead and sit down. We want everything to look as normal as possible," Lee added.  
  
Shaylee nodded. "Understandable. Well, I'll see you guys." Shaylee walked back to the High Table, looking a little perplexed.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Thanks to my awesome reviewers! I'm almost to eighty! Yay!!! The eightieth reviewer gets a surprise! ^_^ Unfortunately, because ff.net isn't agreeing with my computer right now, I can't get to my reviews at this moment, but the reviewers for chappy 14 will be thanked personally in the next chapter! Thank you all! I love you and I couldn't write without you! 


	16. Old Friends

Disclaimer: I went to my sister's graduation the other day. I was playing in the band. There were about three thousand people there (it's a small school). Strangely, not ONE of them came up to me and asked me for my autograph. Hmmm, wouldn't you think that if I were JK Rowling, and I was seen at a small school's graduation, I'd have people clamoring for my autograph? Well, that must mean, I'm not JK Rowling!  
  
AN: This is a bit shorter, but the reason it took a while is because I had some problems with the order of what was happening.... Draco kinda had me a little confuzzled this chapter... But I got it! I decide to make it two chapters just to make U all mad with a cliffy! ^_^  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Lucius Malfoy sat in the Slytherin Common Room, cooly surveying his surroundings.  
  
He heard the door slide open and said without turning, "Nice of you to join me, Draco."  
  
"Yes, sir." Draco came around and sat across his father.  
  
"How is it going, Draco?" Lucius inquired, looking down at his son.  
  
Draco looked up at his father and hesitated, knowing that he could very well hold Hermione's life in his hands this moment. "Well?" his father asked, expectantly.  
  
Feeling the ever familiar guilt coarse through his veins, he said, "She believes that we're in a relationship."  
  
Lucius smiled slightly. Draco stared at him, for the first time, feeling revulsion at his father's face. His wicked smile suddenly brought the urge to throw up to Draco's stomach. He'd seen that smirk many times, but now he realized that it was the same one found on his OWN face many times through the day. That face that was planning such evil, actually held a resemblance to his own.  
  
Noticing something wrong, Lucius prompted, "And?"  
  
Draco looked up at him, wondering what else he wanted. "Well, she's falling for me," he continued lamely.  
  
Lucius stood up angrily. "FALLING? You mean she hasn't ALREADY?"  
  
"That isn't what I meant," Draco said, backing away.  
  
Lucius stilled himself, paused, and sat down.  
  
"I hear that there is to be a Masquerade Ball this Halloween," Lucius said, as if he were making small talk.  
  
"Yes," Draco said, already sensing what he was going to hear.  
  
"You will take her."  
  
"I was already going to ask her."  
  
Lucius studied his son for a moment, until Draco said, quickly, "I already knew you'd want me to."  
  
Lucius nodded, then stood up to leave. "Make this so-called 'relationship' stronger. So that she believes every single word you say. You will NOT anger the Dark Lord, Draco."  
  
"Yes, sir." Still sitting in the same spot, Draco watched the father that he was no longer proud of, walk out the door.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee walked down the hallway with Severus. She sighed. "This is getting really old," she told him as they made a sharp turn.  
  
"If you'd stop the bloody arguments and just let ME take care of it for once, we wouldn't have this problem. It gives the stubborn arsehole a chance to get away."  
  
"WOAH! Wait, did you just call our mutual student, your PRIZE pupil, Draco Malfoy, a STUBBORN ARSEHOLE????!!!!" Shaylee clarified, pretending to look shocked.  
  
"Though he is in Slytherin," Snape said, still speeding through the halls, "he's still a stubborn idiot."  
  
He paused as he looked at her meaningfully. "Unfortunately, all Slytherins are like that. We won't stop until we get what we want."  
  
Shaylee blushed and they started walking as they rounded the next corner, the one leading to the Slytherin Common Room.  
  
Shaylee looked up at him coyly. "It's the same way with red heads. Especially if it involves a member of the opposite sex."  
  
The noise of the sliding door of the Slytherin Common Room startled them, causing them to look up to see Lucius Malfoy.  
  
Lucius walked up to them with a smirk on his face. "Hm, well, I hope I didn't interrupt anything," he said with a presuming chuckle.  
  
Both Severus' and Shaylee's faces were red. "Of course not, Lucius. We were just on our way to the Common Room."  
  
Lucius raised his eyebrows and chuckled again, not believing them for an instant.  
  
"I understand, of course." Lucius looked at them with a knowing look. "Just trying to be a teenager again, are we, Severus?"  
  
He looked Shaylee up and down, causing her face to redden and her eyes to grow angry and defensive.  
  
"Not a bad choice... I must agree with you, as always, old friend. Too bad she's a Weasley," he continued, taking Shaylee's chin in his hand, studying her face.  
  
Snape's wand was suddenly pointed straight in Lucius' face. "Get your filthy hands off of her, old friend," he spat angrily.  
  
Lucius' gaze didn't move from Shaylee's face. He took one last good look at her, then thrust her away, pushing her back a few steps.  
  
Severus quickly glanced at her to make sure she didn't fall, then put his attention back on Lucius.  
  
"Get out of here, Lucius. Before I do something that I've wanted to do since 6th year."  
  
Lucius glared at him. "Disgraceful traitor," he spat under his breath, straightening his cloak and briskly walking down the hallway.  
  
Shaylee stared up at him with wide eyes. Snape brought his wand down to his side.  
  
"THAT is why I don't want you to supervise their meetings. Lucius is a stubborn, perverted creep, arsehole."  
  
Shaylee didn't answer, but tilted her head and kept looking at him. "What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly, not putting it past Lucius to have cursed her.  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing. Thanks." She smiled at him. "Thanks a lot."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione dropped her bookbag beside her bed and thumped down the stairs.  
  
"I'm off to the-"  
  
"Swimming Pool. We know," Harry said.  
  
"Oh, Hermione, can I walk with you? I need to talk to you," Ron said, standing up.  
  
A million thoughts raced through Hermione's mind. She saw herself in a precarious position.  
  
"Um, OK," she said, hoping that he'd just walk with her until they got there, then leave.  
  
Ron smiled, looking a tad preoccupied. "Well, shall we go?"  
  
Hermione nodded and they exited Gryffindor Tower, leaving Harry grinning behind them.  
  
Ron glanced over at the silent Hermione, who was staring straight ahead. "Uh, Herm?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"Yes?" Hermione said, looking at him for the first time, but still walking.  
  
"Well, remember last year after the Yule Ball?" Ron asked, embarrassed.  
  
Hermione inwardly groaned. She knew this would happen. "Yes, and actually, Ron-" she began, but was cut off.  
  
"No, Hermione, I have to do this."  
  
He stopped walking. "You said that I shouldn't use you as a last resort. And, Hermione, I've been thinking about that. I think that you should definitely not be considered a last resort."  
  
Hermione opened her mouth again, but was stopped when Ron continued. "That's why, Hermione, I want to take you to the masquerade ball."  
  
There was silence as they stared at each other. "Well?" Ron prompted. "Will you?"  
  
Hermione battled with herself what to say to him. Finally, she decided. She'd tell him the truth.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Haha!!! ^_^ Well, aren't I special? Don't worry, I'll post ASAP, which for me is...... Um, yeah.... ^_^ Thanks awesome reviewers! I love you all!!! (And you can tell that, because this is one of my very FEW cliffies)  
  
Danric-Lover: LOL! Thanks, Snape will soon appear to be very nice.... And, um, nice threat...... I like threats too.... ^_^  
  
Morgan: Yay; thanks!  
  
Draco-Malfoy-Vegeta-luvr: Wow, thank you so much!  
  
Water demon: Here it is! I'm trying to speed up the updates. Thanks bunches. You're complimenting my imagination! Yay; it thanks you! ^_~  
  
Demongurl872007: LISA!!!! Yay, you finally read it! Yay, well, thanks bunches. Shaylee DOES change him a lot. Thanks for the suggestions, and keep reading it!  
  
Unruly_critic: Thanks for the honest review. I read through it again, and I agree with you about the beginning. I'd rewrite it, but I don't have very much time, obviously, as you can see because I can hardly find the time to post this. WOW! You're the first person to diss Shaylee. ^_^ I can see what you're saying tho... I'll try to do something about that. Thank you. I need a little constructive criticism now and then. ^_^  
  
Jenna-chan: Thanks! And, you might think I'm lucky, but I'm too young to have my drivers license and all my friends live at least 15 miles away. And I live in a tiny town. School's the only time I see them. But, thanks and good luck with any final tests you might have!  
  
Girl-named-Belle: Awwww.... Just cuz it isn't your day, you can have a cookie, OK? ::pats head::  
  
Super Geek: Thanks, and I'll keep writing until no one reviews or the fanfic is over. You're number 80! Your prize is any food item of your choice!! ^_^  
  
Jenna-chan: Wow, thanks for telling your friends. ^_^ And tell them I said thanks too! You guys made my day! And, I'll read it when I have time or if I can't sleep. I'm sure it's great!  
  
Principessa Squish Aldkivina: Alicia, why do you sign in to review? It makes my job so much harder. I hafta type your friggen name. ^_^ And, I WON'T work on the house!!! ^_^  
  
KEL-71E: Hehe, wow, good job. How'd you manage that? And, as long as you get along with the other guy, that's ok. Hehe, this is a little late, but hope you do (did, actually) great on your exams!  
  
Wibbles: Well, um, one of your guesses is right! I can tell you this much! ^_^  
  
Water demon: Hehe, sorry I can't tell you that. But, you'll see soon enough!  
  
GenieJanelle: LOL, that's funny. Hmmmm, maybe I CAN become JK Rowling after all..... ^_^  
  
PsYcHoJo: LOL, that's wierd cuz that's how my family and friends describe ME and everything I do and say. ^_^ I guess that just goes on to my fics! ^_^  
  
Hildie: Thank you! I won't stop writing unless either me or my computer dies.... ^_^  
  
I hope that's everyone!!! ff.net still won't let me see my reviews, but I get them in my email, but I might've deleted one. But, if I forgot anyone, you have my apologies, thanks, and a cookie! ^_^ 


	17. Things That Have Never Been Seen and Sur

Disclaimer: Hi, my name is Ashley Crystal Harrison! This means, of course, that if I were a published author, and decided to use my initials for my penname, I'd be AC Harrison. Like an air conditioner. Not JK Rowling. Like the abbreviation for 'just kidding'. (AN: Funny story on that. I was talking to my friend online and she said 'jk' I immediately said, 'Rowling'. ^_^)  
  
AN: Quicker than usual! A little longer too. And, yes, I do know that there is a lot of yelling.... And a lot of surprises... Count how many time the word surprise is in here... ^_^  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
"Well, you see, Ron. I was going to try to ask someone else very soon." Hermione could see the disappointment show on his face and decided to cheer him up just a little bit.  
  
"But," she continued, "there's a big chance he'll turn me down. So, if he does, I'd be more than happy to accept your offer."  
  
She smiled at him, reasoning with herself, 'Yeah, if Draco doesn't want to go, I can go with Ron. There's nothing wrong with that.'  
  
A lopsided smile appeared on Ron's face. "So, am I your last resort?"  
  
Hermione blushed and laughed. "Nope. Just second choice. If I wanted a last resort, it'd probably be..." She paused. "I dunno, really. Probably Harry or something."  
  
The way she said that made Ron laugh.  
  
"Well, I'll go back to the common room now. See ya, Hermione." Ron smiled and headed back towards Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Hermione sighed with relief and went on her way to the Swimming Pool.  
  
Hermione opened the door to the pool in her blue bathing suit, and stepped in without looking to see if anyone was inside. When she did look up, she was surprised to see not only Draco, but the new Gryffindor, Scott. And the most surprising thing was, they were actually talking to each other and looked like they were enjoying the conversation.  
  
A little confused on how she was supposed to act (Was she supposed to ignore Draco?), Hermione walked slowly towards them.  
  
When she was about ten feet away, Draco looked up, saw her, and smiled. "Here she is," he said to Scott, and he too looked up.  
  
Draco went over and met her, putting his arm around her shoulder possessively. "You two already know each other, right?"  
  
"Uhhuh," Hermione answered, looking up at him curiously.  
  
Draco smiled down at her confused face and said, "Scott's agreed to help us." Hermione looked even more confused.  
  
Draco looked down at her again with a kind smile that could make any girl's (let alone Hermione's) heart melt. "But, first, I have something to ask you."  
  
Hermione blushed. "Yes?"  
  
Draco's stomach did cartwheels as he studied her face. "Would you be willing to reveal our relationship at the Masquerade Ball this Halloween?"  
  
Hermione smiled sweetly up at him. "It depends... Are you asking me to go with you?"  
  
Draco grinned at her mockingly and said, "It depends... Will you go with me?"  
  
Hermione grinned. "Yes, I will."  
  
Scott watched, trying to keep from laughing, as Draco leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.  
  
When they broke apart, he announced, "That's gotta be the most sickenly sweet thing I've ever seen in my life!"  
  
They both blushed and Scott laughed. "I'm just kidding, but anyway, aren't you gonna explain my part in this, Draco? I think I've got little Miss Granger a tad confused."  
  
Hermione DID have to admit that the American slang, mixed with the slight Irish accent, and Scottish looks made Scott quite charming. She also had to admit that he was absolutely right; she was confused!  
  
"Well, Hermione," Draco began. "I'm sure that your two best friends, AND the rest of Gryffindor would not be too happy if they knew you were going to the masquerade with me."  
  
Hermione grinned wickedly. "Oh, they have to know?"  
  
Draco smiled a grin identical to hers. "My thoughts exactly."  
  
"But, then Scott came up to me, and he told me that he had found out about us." Hermione looked up in shock. "Who told him?" she asked, worriedly.  
  
Draco laughed. "That's the funny thing about it; no one told him. He was in this room, one night when we were here, but he was up in the stands," he paused. "Trying to take a nap." Hermione giggled as Scott blushed.  
  
"So, he decided he'd help us out on Halloween night, since he loves causing chaos, or at least that's his excuse..." Draco grinned at Scott, who was chuckling softly.  
  
"And how could he help?" Hermione asked. She was thoroughly interested now. She'd take any way to dodge Ron's questions about who she was going with.  
  
"Well," Scott began, sounding a little like he was brewing up a master prank. "When everyone asks who you're going with to the ball, you'd say me, but you'd really be going with Draco."  
  
"Uhhuh..." Hermione nodded slowly. "But, would they believe it?" Scott shrugged. "If both of us say it, then they will." He grinned. "Plus, they wouldn't care enough to overly investigate, because they'd think you're going with a Gryffindor, and they have to find their own date anyway, so no one would have the time to think we're lying."  
  
Hermione smiled. "I like it; it's an excellent idea!" She paused and frowned. "But if people think we're going together, you won't be able to get a date for yourself."  
  
Scott grinned even wider. "I already have a date!" Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "And she won't get a little mad when she hears we're going together?"  
  
"That's the great part, she doesn't even go here! When Shaylee told me a student and a teacher couldn't go together, I asked Professor Dumbledore if I could invite someone I knew from home, and he said yes. So, my neighbor, who goes to school in France, is coming. And, she won't mind at all when I tell her what's going on!"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Now I can see why the twins never get caught; they think like you!"  
  
Scott grinned, evidently taking it as a compliment. "Being a prankster is hard work, milady!" he said while bowing.  
  
Draco stepped in front of Hermione and said jokingly, "YOUR lady? Oh really? When did this happen?"  
  
Scott raised his eyebrows, trying to be seductive, but looking too goofy. "Why, just now, mate! Weren't you watching?"  
  
Draco chuckled. "For someone who grew up in America, you sure do know how to use British slang!"  
  
For a brief second, Hermione could have sworn there was a glimmer of discomfort in Scott's eyes, but then it disappeared and he began teasing Draco again.  
  
Finally, Draco playfully slugged his arm and said, "Get out of here, mate. My lady and I need some time together." He winked at Hermione as Scott pretended to barf in the pool.  
  
"Well, I'll leave you to it then. See ya later, guys!" Scott waved as he walked out of the room, leaving the two still laughing.  
  
"That guy is an absolute nutcase," Draco said, looking after him.  
  
Hermione smiled up at him. 'This is the happiest I've ever seen him. He's never really had a close friendship like most people do.'  
  
It was at that moment that Hermione decided that she wasn't only going to be Draco's "lady", but she was also going to be his friend.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
The next day at lunch, Shaylee plopped down at her seat, fashionably late, as usual.  
  
Snape looked up at her dryly. "How do you always manage to miss the Headmaster's Noon Announcements?"  
  
She grinned. "Well, if anyone asks, I tell them I was grading papers and I forgot it was lunch time. Then, there's always the 'I got locked in the loo' excuse... Ummmm... Lesse..." She paused and thought of more excuses. "Oh! How could I forget? My two favorites: 'My psychiatrist held me in late' and 'I was counting the dots on my ceiling, and after 1,341,003, I looked at the clock and noticed it was lunch time'."  
  
Snape shook his head and decided not to even ask. Shaylee looked a little put out that he hadn't made any comment, then leaned over so that she was whispering in his ear, "Actually, I was in the lavatory, making myself all beautiful, just for you!"  
  
Snape sighed, exasperated, "Weasley, wou-"  
  
"Shaylee."  
  
Snape shook his head and corrected himself, "Shaylee, would you just shut up?"  
  
Shaylee's mouth dropped open and she said, "Why Sevvy, I am VERY offended, and I would slap you-" Snape flinched as she raised her arm slightly. "-if I didn't know that you have this problem of seeming like you have a fruit up your arse after you have the Gryffies and Slytherins together."  
  
Snape looked at her cynically. "Why thank you."  
  
Shaylee followed up by taking a "The Thinker" pose and saying, "Well, it was an apple the last time. Today, I'd say it'd probably be a pineapple!" She paused, looked up at him innocently and exclaimed, "Or maybe even a watermelon!"  
  
Snape groaned and pretended he didn't know her.  
  
Shaylee went around to his other side and popped her face in front of his. "What's the matter, Sevvy???" she cooed. "What happened in class today that caused your watermelon-ey mood?"  
  
Snape shook his head. "Longbottom again." "Ahhhhh! That poor boy..." She paused and looked up at him with conviction in her eyes and he actually thought she was going to say something serious, until she said, "You should see him try to play volleyball!"  
  
He groaned and went back to his lunch.  
  
Shaylee snickered and glanced around the Great Hall while she ate her sandwich. Today was the day Fred and George were pulling that prank and there was something they were hiding from her. She couldn't find them, which, from experience, was very bad.  
  
She had started scanning the Gryffindor table again, when she heard a tremendous amount of laughs coming from the students.  
  
She looked up at Severus, where, if they DID do what they said they were going to do, there should have been a pink chicken sitting. However, there wasn't.  
  
Instead, there was a perfectly normal looking Severus Snape, except for the fact that he had a miniature rain cloud above his head and was looking even sourer than usual, considering that his whole upper body was getting soaked.  
  
She joined the laughs, until she realized that Snape was looking at her with a slight smile on his face.  
  
She immediately looked up, where she found a mini sun with a smiley face and sunglasses on. She threw her sandwich to the table and stood up, looking the maddest that anyone in the room had ever seen her.  
  
"FREDERICK AND GEORGE WEASLEY!!!" There were even more laughs as Shaylee looked around the room, not finding them at all.  
  
Shaking her head, yet knowing what to do, Shaylee yelled out again, "You IDIOTS! I practically INVENTED that spell myself!!" There was silence, as Fred and George Weasley popped out from under a table and yelled, "WE HELPED!!"  
  
Shaylee supported herself with her hands on the table and leaned across it, yelling, "Yeah, with the sun's design! I did all the work!!"  
  
For the first time that most of the people had ever seen, the Weasley twins looked ashamed about a prank that they had done. It seemed that most of their pranks were original works of art, but their cousin had ruined any and all chances of taking credit for this one.  
  
Shaylee smiled evilly. "Not only that, but I not only created, but REMEMBER the cure!"  
  
This was when Fred turned and stamped his foot, cursing, with George hissing at him, "It isn't my fault! YOU were the one that said she'd forget!"  
  
Shaylee laughed and looked down at Severus, where she immediately laughed. "So, Sevvy," she said, as if she were talking about the weather (no pun intended!). "How do you make rain go away?" "You can't," Snape answered cunningly.  
  
Shaylee sighed, exasperated. "Well, how does the rain go away?"  
  
"Do I look like a meteorologist?" Snape asked, sourly.  
  
"FORGET THE STUPID WATERMELON AND ANSWER ME!!!" Shaylee took a deep breath. "What comes out when the rain goes away? Is that easy enough?"  
  
"The sun." Snape seemed a little peeved about the whole watermelon thing and how the whole student body had heard.  
  
"Exactly! So, if you just sit still, I will get rid of your raining problem, Mr. Wet Robes."  
  
Shaylee grinned as Snape sighed and crossed his arms, looking the other way.  
  
Suddenly, there was absolute quiet in the room, as even the teachers watched them, looking amused. This worried Snape quite a bit, and he turned back to see what Shaylee was ding.  
  
Unbeknownst to him, while he was so pointedly looking the other way, Shaylee had been slowly inching towards him, causing the rain to decrease. Finally, at the same moment that he turned her way, she jumped straight into his lap with a kamikaze yell.  
  
"WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME?!" Snape yelled, taken VERY much by surprise.  
  
Shaylee grinned at him, pointed out to him that there was no more rain OR sun, and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and bounced off, winking at him while she exited the room.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Snape knocked on Shaylee's office door.  
  
"Come in!" was the cheerful greeting.  
  
He opened the door, and saw her laying on the floor in front of the fireplace wearing green flannel pajamas and reading a book.  
  
She looked up and grinned. "Well, hello, Sevvy! To what do I owe this surprise?"  
  
To Shaylee's surprise, Snape didn't say a word, but came and sat down on the floor beside her after carefully shutting the door.  
  
She put a bookmark in her place and looked up to see Severus looking at her with a serious, but soft look on his face.  
  
"You're bad for my health, you know," he said suddenly, still looking at her.  
  
"Oh, really? Why is this?" Shaylee asked, sitting up.  
  
"Obsession," was the only word he said, but she understood and blushed.  
  
"You know, I have the same problem..." She said slightly blushing.  
  
Snape seemed a little awkward. "Would you- I mean... Well...." Shaylee grinned at him. "Yes, Sevvy, I'll go to the Masquerade with you..."  
  
Severus grinned as he stood up and headed to the door, with her following. "I swear, you're either psychic or my soul mate."  
  
Shaylee smiled as she looked at him standing outside her door and said softly, "Maybe I'm both."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
R/R please! I actually liked most of this chapter for once! I usually don't like the stuff I write! I need someone to knock me out of it! ^_^ Oh, yay, by the way!!! ^_^ I got MORE than 100 reviews! YAY!!!  
  
Deese Rouge Cheveux: Heehee, thanks! It's written that she's in local, but I really don't know anything about competitive swimming sooo.... ^_^  
  
shadowcat: It's right that it was Lily. i was trying to show Sev's hatred of class clowns. The whole Lucius thing is just cuz he's a pervert and yeah.... ^_^  
  
Cute-kitty: LOL, thanks!  
  
JohannakaShaylee: LOL, I don't live there no.... ^_^ But, I agree with you about talking a mile a minute. I tried timing myself once, but the person timing got tired of it... ^_^  
  
I luv Capernwray: LOL.... Um, wow.....  
  
Morgan: Unfortunately, you've gotta wait a little while for the reaction... I wasn't gonna tell him this early on!! ^_^  
  
DraconisGirl:(chapter 16) I agree with you totally!! And, thank you sooo much!!  
  
DraconisGirl: (chapter15) Heehee, I know. the chapter was based on trying to teach my little sister and cousins... Ugh... A nightmare... i wonder if they're witches and wizards?? ^_^  
  
Pris: ^_^ Thanks! I love 'originality compliments'! They keep my imagination alive!  
  
Danric-Lover: LOL, I use threats too... But, they DON'T work, it's true... And, I dunno if I'm gonna kill Lucius or not... I hafta figure that out... ^_^  
  
darkmarkgrl: Heehee! I don't do it very often!! Thank you soooo much! I wish I was better, but then, I bet every writer does.... I'll do that; I have so many days where I just sit there, staring at the computer, thinking, 'What should I write?' ^_^  
  
Livii: Thank you! I'm becoming attached to this fic, so I won't stop anytime soon!  
  
Girl-named-Belle: LOL, imaginary cookies can be better than real ones, because thay can be as big as you want it to be!! ^_^  
  
Fallen-Angel: Thank you! Gosh, I love reviews!! ^_^  
  
Ryo Kaoru...~: Thanks! And, yeah, I'll email you! ^_^  
  
Draco-Malfoy-Vegeta-luvr: Yay! I feel remembered!! ^_^ Thanks a bunch! And I'm thinking up a bunch of reactions for Ron and Harry, and I'll probably choose the funniest ones...  
  
Super Geek: LOL, yeah, that's all I think about: food! LOL, that sounds like what I do when I can't think of what to write... ^_^  
  
Sabrina: Yay, I feel special!! ^_^ And, I've been staying up til 5 AM every night typing, so don't worry, the updates will come quicker!  
  
Water demon: Thanks; I've got that whole page memorized. My sister and I like to act it out when my other sister is arguing with my mom. ^_^ Ah, mocking family members is fun! Oh, I reviewed your fic. Very good!! 


	18. Decisions, Decisions

Disclaimer: I tripped this morning when I got up from bed. You see, I'm a slob and I haven't cleaned my room for about a year (probably even more than that). If only I was JK Rowling and I could afford a maid to clean up after me! ::sigh:: I'll just hafta go on, hurting myself in the morning! ... Or maybe I could clean my room...... ::ponders this:: Nah!  
  
AN: I know it's short!!! Oh, and thanks SO MUCH to darkmarkgrl who helped me come up with ideas for costumes! Unfortunately, after I'd decided, I lost the convo cuz my computer crashed and then I got an idea for a really sweet moment if Sevvy had a certain costume, soooo... Yeah, it's a bit different than we discussed... ^_^  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
It was October 18th and the excitement at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was mounting as Halloween Night grew nearer. There were people all over the place, discussing costumes and dates.  
  
This was where we found Draco and Hermione: in the pool, dangling their feet in the water and debating over their costumes.  
  
"You don't have to dress to match with your date, but most people are," Hermione pointed out.  
  
"What should we go as, though?" Draco seemed thoroughly stumped. It seemed he'd never been to a costume party as a child.  
  
Hermione had gone to many costume parties as a child, plus trick-or- treating, but a masquerade was supposed to be much more elegant than a neighborhood kiddy party.  
  
She sighed, then grinned. "We could always pull the traditional prince and princess!" she said teasingly, knowing that Draco would NOT want to be a prince.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes and said dryly, "How about a ferret and a squirrel?" Hermione burst out laughing. "Haha, funny, Mr. Ferret Man." She slugged him on the arm. "But, I think they'd know who it was!"  
  
"I was just kidding, anyway..."  
  
They took on their thinking positions again. "Aha! How about a vampire?"  
  
Draco looked interested for once. "I'm for that! But what would you be?" he pointed out.  
  
Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, I could be a vampire slayer..." Draco looked offended. "Oh, thanks!" She giggled.  
  
"Well," Hermione said, then paused. "Never mind... I'm all out!"  
  
Draco laughed. "You're out of ideas? Wow... Now I've seen everything!"  
  
Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. He then seemed to come up with something. "What if...." he thought a little more. "What? I'm all ears." Hermione leaned forward.  
  
"Well, how about a genie and... an Arabian Knight or a sultan or something like that..." Hermione grinned, thinking of the Disney movie her smaller cousin always watched when her family was visiting.  
  
"Hey! That's a good idea! Are you sure? I mean, it's not too 'pretty- boy-ish' for you, is it?" Hermione actually looked semi-serious.  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "Me? The one that every single Gryffindor has called 'Pretty-boy Malfoy' at least once, scared to ruin my reputation by looking like a pretty-boy knight for one night? I think not!"  
  
Hermione laughed at his choice of words. "Alrighty then; we've got our costumes! No backing out now!"  
  
"Uh, wait, what do you mean by that?"  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee sat up and leaned against the wall by her fireplace as Severus walked in. She patted the spot beside her in invitation and he sat down.  
  
"So, I guess you want to talk about costumes," Shaylee said, bringing her legs up to her chest. Snape looked at her incredulously. "How in Merlin's name do you always know what I'm going to say?"  
  
Shaylee grinned and shrugged. "Well, as you said yourself last night, I'm either psychic or your soul mate..." Snape blushed as he also remembered this.  
  
"Er, yeah..."  
  
"Well, anyway, what should we dress up as? We don't have to match, you know," she reminded him. She then laughed. "I guess most people are just dressing to match so that they don't lose their dates..."  
  
Snape also laughed, then said, "Well, I was thinking something dark and evil."  
  
Shaylee looked at him skeptically. "Sevvy, this is a masquerade. You can't dress up as yourself!"  
  
Snape scowled at her. "Very funny, Shaylee."  
  
"Well, I was thinking something romantic, like Romeo and Juliet!"  
  
"Isn't that from some Muggle literature?"  
  
"Yeah, Shakespeare!"  
  
"Er, no thanks." Snape, evidently, didn't want to be something a Muggle had come up with.  
  
Shaylee gave him the evil eye. "Be that way, you stick in the mud!"  
  
Shaylee looked into the fire, thinking. Finally she looked up in triumph. "What about Hades and Persephone?"  
  
Snape pondered this for a while, then pointed out, "Oh, so what would we do, wear signs that say 'King and Queen of Hell'?"  
  
Shaylee shrugged. "It was worth a try!"  
  
Shaylee thought again, then said suddenly, "Beauty and the Beast!" Snape's mouth dropped open. "Ouch!"  
  
Shaylee giggled. "Well, help me think, then, you big beast!" She made a face at him.  
  
Snape scoffed, then said, "You act like my eight year old niece..." Shaylee just answered this by making another face at him.  
  
Snape shook his head, then thought, looking off into nowhere. He finally seemed to get an idea. "Oh, what does your name mean?"  
  
Shaylee grinned. "Ohhhh! That's a great idea!!"  
  
"Wait," Snape was getting a little edgy from the evil grin on her face. "What does it mean?"  
  
Shaylee giggled and answered, "Fairy princess of the field!" Snape groaned. "Never mind."  
  
"Awwwww, come on! You're no fun at all! You'd look cute as a fairy prince!!" she teased, elbowing him in the stomache.  
  
"I don't do anything with wings." "You don't have to have wings," Shaylee pointed out. "But, I also refuse to be anything 'cute'."  
  
Shaylee sighed, crossed her arms, and stuck her nose up. "Well, be that way! We don't have to match! I'm going to be my namesake! You can be whatever! Be a goblin, for all I care!"  
  
Snape laughed. "Oh, I think you'd care if you had a goblin for a date..." Shaylee glared at him, just causing him to laugh more.  
  
"Don't worry, I think I know what I'll be. And it isn't embarrassing, either," he reassured. "And what is it?" Shaylee demanded.  
  
Snape grinned. "I'm not telling." Shaylee stared at him, unwavering, with her head tilted. It got to the point that he thought she was incredibly mad at him and he was about to apologize and forfeit the information. Instead, Shaylee said, still looking at him, "You know, you're very cute when you smile..."  
  
Snape blushed, then said, "Oh, so I'm cute, am I?" Shaylee laughed. "Yes! Just like a cute little fairy prince!!"  
  
He groaned as she went on, "Sprouting out of that flower in the middle of the enchanted field, dancing around like a proper happy fairy prince should!"  
  
"Shaylee, shut up!"  
  
"Singing those fairy songs and talking to the birds! Flapping around with those glittery wings!! You're the epitome of a cute little fa-"  
  
"Shaylee, has anyone ever told you that your eyes sparkle when you laugh?" Shaylee blushed and realized that while mocking him, she'd been getting closer and closer to his face. She looked into his eyes for a moment, then jerked away quickly and sat back down beside him where she had been before, though quite a bit closer.  
  
They were silent for a moment, then, Shaylee leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Thanks."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Navy Converse: Aw, darn, you caught me... No, I'm jj, but the reason for that is because I have certain things put together in chapters, and there's often not enough events to make it long. Plus, when I respond to reviews, I respond to all of them so no one feels left out...  
  
Kiya: LOL, thankies!  
  
Morgan: LOL, hehe... Well, if U ever get stuck with that spell, you'll know what to do! ^_~  
  
Principessa Squish Aldkivina: Chapter 17: Wow, that was a pointless review.... But, er, thanks! Chapter 16: Lish, are you alright, or are you just a psychotic Hufflepuff??? Chapter 15: Wow, you had a lot of catching up to do... Why do you even review? You just read it over my shoulder when I'm typing... You cuold tell me what you think then you know....  
  
Super Geek: Yay; I feel "stare-worthy"!! ^_^ Thanks, that part just popped into my head. It was probably just as much of a surprise for me than for the rest of you!  
  
Darkmarkgrl: lol, They were sitting on the floor not in a tree! ^_^ Heehee, yeah, I'm insane... Um, yeah, yay for the Anaheim Ducks.... ::forced enthusiasm:: ^_~  
  
Danric-Lover: Ummm, maybe... Gosh I sound like my mom... ^_^ Yeah, I will if it fits in with the plot at that moment or if I'm PMSing and decide to kill someone... Hehe...  
  
Hildie: Heehee! Thanks!  
  
Girl-named-Belle: Um, er.... OK!!! ^_^ Yeah, here's more! 


	19. Inner Workings of Draco Malfoy

Disclaimer: I looked in the mirror today and saw a very short 14 year old girl with red hair that is showing its brown roots (^_^) and very tired looking blue eyes (this is because I stay up all hours of the night typing... ^_^). Then, it got knocked into my head that I must NOT be JK Rowling, because she doesn't look like the vision in the mirror at ALL!! Now, maybe, if I looked in The Mirror of Erised, I would see myself as JK Rowling, however, I don't own that mirror. Dumbledore's left it to me in his will, but he hasn't died quite yet... ^_~ Well, hehe... Not the one I mean anyway...  
  
AN: The next few chapters before the Masquerade Ball are going to be very short, but they will be up quicker. After those are up, I'll type the Masquerade chapters (which will be longer) and I'll probably post them right before the 21st, when I'll be getting my lovely new HP book and not stopping for anything! ^_^ (I know most of U will be reading it too, but I'll also be visiting my aunt in Kentucky for a few weeks right after that, and won't be able to post, so you'll have something to read after you're done, I guess.)  
  
AN2: OK, I was over at a friends house when I was typing this, and her old computer doesn't have a spell check, so if you catch something, sorry, and figure out what it should be, and pretend that it's right! ^_~  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Draco was alone in the Slytherin 5th Year Boys' Dormitory, laying on his bed with the hangings drawn, staring up at the canopy.  
  
He knew he had some thinking to do.  
  
When his father had first given him his assignment, he'd hesitated, but only because he didn't want to ruin his reputation and he simply hated Hermione. But, ever since that first meeting with her, he had been steadily growing closer and closer to her, causing him to feel guilty every single time he told her a lie or got even slightly close. He knew the pain that he'd eventually be causing.  
  
They'd spent so much time together in the pool that Draco was actually starting to feel a certain closeness to the girl that he had once hated with every bit of his being. He'd actually started getting along with her.  
  
And, there was the way he always felt when he was around her. That feeling as if his stomache was being swirled around in a blender. But it was a good feeling. A kind of nervous Utopia that human beings weren't supposed to feel. He didn't understand it, nor did he really want to.  
  
He had always known that he was destined to become a Death Eater upon his graduation. He was already the "gopher" for many of the actual Death Eaters. If there was something that needed to be done at Hogwarts without suspicion, he was the one to do it. After all, who else could you trust to get a job done for the Dark Lord if you couldn't trust his right hand man's own son?  
  
Well, that was what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to get Hermione for Voldemort, proving himself to the rest of them. Then, he was to go on and eventually work his way up to take over his father's place. But, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, after all.  
  
Ever since he had started to meet Hermione in the pool, he was feeling a little bit wary about that plan. She had created so many doubts in his head that he didn't even know what he was doing anymore. The time spent around her made him a little scared of what he was "destined" to be.  
  
He began to feel sick every time he saw or thought of his father. He was thoroughly disgusted with his family and the disillusions he'd had to suffer through his whole life, thanks to his father. He'd been raised to think that Muggle borns were filthy, stupid creatures that didn't know what the hell they were doing, and that only wizards with pure magical blood were any good. Well, Hermione had changed this opinion greatly.  
  
He'd learned that instead of an idiotic Muggle born who was trying to be smart to make herself have a better reputation, Hermione was a truly intelligent witch who was struggling to prove herself and the rest of the Muggle born witches and wizards.  
  
Eventually, the feelings and doubts of his upbringing had grown so strong that he found himself thinking about what would happen to him if he ever decided to betray his father. He had learned of his father's wrath firsthand as a young child, but he'd never done anything truly unforgivable. He'd always remained loyal to his family, as a respectable pureblood wizard should.  
  
'God...' Draco ran his fingers through his hair. 'How the hell did I get in this mess?'  
  
One single thought entered his mind, 'Hermione,'  
  
He laughed sardonically. Yeah, that's it. Hermione. That girl had ruined his plan without even knowing it. She'd proven her bewitching powers by bewitching him.  
  
That's when it hit him. He had fallen in love with Hermione Granger.  
  
He sighed. He didn't care what the punishment would be. He knew what he had to do.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
R/R please! I know it's short! I wasn't gonna ruin Draco's precious thoughts by pushing other stuff in the same chapter with them... ::cough:: Wow, aren't I a good excuse maker? ^_^  
  
skyleia: Thanks! I know what you mean about the Sev/Shay thing, but I'm trying to make the point that even Sevvy can fall in love when he least expects it. ^_^  
  
Fallen-Angel: (chapter 18:) Um.... that was scary..... (Chapter 17:) Heehee! Thanks!  
  
Navy Converse: LOL, I thought about having him surprise Shay like that, but it's waaaaaaaay too OOC!  
  
BitterSweetKiss: LOL, I love that myth! Oh, and about that age thing, I figured it out so that they could possibly be 9 years apart, which isn't too terrible!!  
  
Cute-Kitty: LOL! Hehe, so do I....  
  
kybg: Heehee! You caught it! Yay! You were the only one so far who noticed the Scott thing. You should find out what it is soon! And, wow, thanks! That means a lot!  
  
Draco is the man: Heehee, thank you!!  
  
Alicia: Ha! I didn't type your SN!! Wow, I don't know you... You aren't my sister.....  
  
Super Geek: Hehe, thanks a bunch!!  
  
Babybeauty: Don't worry! I love my ficcy too much to abandon it!!  
  
darkmarkgrl: Heehee, thanks! I'll probably need more song suggestions later... I'll ask you when I do!  
  
Morgan: LOL! Thanks!  
  
two insane chixs: LOL, that's where I got the banana thing. My friend told me about it and it's been our little inside joke...  
  
Livii: Heehee! Thanks so much! They're short, but I try to get them up!  
  
BellethePhilosopher'sCookie: LOL, so am I...  
  
Kellii: LOL, thanks bunches! I'll remember to email you!  
  
Adnap Nottap: Wow, thanks! Heehee, I used to be a Ron and Hermione shipper too, but my taste in fanfics has changed a lot. I still think that that's the only realistic couple that would happen inside of the trio in the books!  
  
Hildie: Thanks!  
  
Danric-Lover: LOL, wow.... ^_^ Thanks! And I promise that if there's a way that makes the plot better by doing it, I'll kill him. Heehee, or I may pretend to kill him, and then not do it just to make everyone mad... (I have to keep my options open here!)  
  
Water Demon: (Chapter 18~) Heehee thanks! (Chapter 17~) LOL... ^_^ I hope it was, but then, I DID get that review too, so yeah..... ^_^  
  
ThePoTionMaStEr: Thanks! 


	20. Just a Normal Day

Disclaimer: If I was ever a published author, and had this really cool, hot, awesome character that everyone was in love with, I wouldn't kill him. This must mean, I'm not JK Rowling.  
  
AN: WARNING: SPOILERS!! Yes, people!!! I read the 5th book and I must say, my opinions on people have changed. Lesse; Evil James, Poor Sevvy, Kinda Psychotic Harry, Poor loving precious Sirius, Troublemaking Ginny, Annoying Hermione, {BEEEP} Cho Chang. Lucius got ALMOST what he deserved! Murder to Percy!! And, Neville was just... amazing! Oh, and I'm soooo proud of the Weasley twins!! Hehe, their exit was awesome... ::Cough:: If U've read it yet, you'll know what I mean..... I cried when the person died. (I won't say who, just in case) And I never cry!! And I was sooo sure that a different person would die and JK Rowling would NEVER kill that person off... ::Starts bawling::  
  
AN2: Beware, in one of Sevvy's parts, I changed it so that he's reliving something that's in the book, so if you haven't read the book, it shouldn't stick out, but this is just a warning. AND DON'T PURPOSELY LOOK FOR IT!!!!  
  
AN3: Argh!! Can someone tell me, do you have to be a prefect to eventually be the Head Boy/Girl?! Because, if U do, I think I found a plot hole in the almighty JK Rowling's book!! ::GASPS:: But, if not, all is well, and we still have a few years to wait for me to destroy the world...  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Draco stood in front of the mirror and cursed. He was almost out of hair gel. He just KNEW he should have picked up some more the last time in he went to Hogsmeade. He definitely didn't have enough for his whole head today. He'd have to use it sparingly and he'd slip off to Hogsmeade tomorrow morning.  
  
He growled as he combed it thinly through his hair. He was doing fine and it looked like he'd be able to get it all.  
  
Then, he ran out.  
  
He only had a small section left, and maybe, just maybe, he could get it to stay. He ran the comb through his hair again, getting a bit on his comb, and then ran that through the section he missed.  
  
It stayed. Almost. He pressed it down and he was finally satisfied.  
  
He let the dormitory and headed down to the Great Hall, where he sat down carefully, as to not disturb his hair.  
  
It didn't work.  
  
Just one piece flopped down right by his eyes, and he blew it out of his face, irritated, resulting in it floating up and dropping back down again.  
  
He groaned and put it back in its place, with, unfortunately, half of the Slytherin table watching him. "What are you looking at?" he defended himself. Everyone turned away.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee sat down on her chair by Snape and laughed. "What?" Severus looked up at her, not too surprised that she was in such a good mood .  
  
"Look at our mutual student over there. I think he's having a few hair problems..."  
  
Snape looked over at Draco and shook his head.  
  
"You find humor in the strangest places, you know that?"  
  
Shaylee grinned. "Why thank you! I had two Oreos and some Irish Cream coffee with whiskey in it to get me out of bed!!"  
  
Snape stared at her. "Shaylee," he said calmly, "-are you drunk?"  
  
Shaylee giggled. "I don't think so!!!"  
  
"Oh, dear God...."  
  
"No, I'm just hyper, you nitwit! A little whiskey in coffee can't do anything to me! I'm Irish for St. Patrick's sake!!!"  
  
Snape just looked the other way and murmured, "Wow..."  
  
Shaylee giggled softly, jumped up, bounced over him, landing on his lap for a short moment, and bounded off towards the Gryffindor table, leaving Snape staring after her awkwardly.  
  
Shaylee snuck up behind Scott and leaned on his back, causing him to jump and turn around quickly.  
  
He grinned when he saw it was her.  
  
"Oh, hi Shaylee!"  
  
"Hi, Scott. Have you found a date to the Masquerade Ball yet?"  
  
"Yep. Hermione."  
  
Shaylee gaped at him. "Granger??"  
  
"Uh... Yeah..." Scott looked confused and Shaylee laughed it off.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing..." Shaylee glanced over at the Slytherin table, where Draco was fixing his hair, yet again.  
  
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Scott said knowingly. "I didn't know you knew too..."  
  
He grinned and lowered his voice so that only she could hear him. "She's going with Draco, but I'm their cover. I'm actually going with my next door neighbor from back home..."  
  
"Oh..." Shaylee grinned. "A wily one are we? Trying to cause a stir, huh?" Scott grinned. "Exactly. But I wanna help them too."  
  
Shaylee smiled and patted his back. "Great. That's really nice of you."  
  
She looked up before she left the Hall and her eyes met Sevvy's, looking a bit jealous. She grinned, waved, and blew him an exuberant kiss as she skipped out the door.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Snape stood in front of his class, writing the procedure of the potion they were making on the board.  
  
That's when he felt something in his pocket. As he finished on the board and told them to get started, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of Muggle notebook paper. On the front in pink ink, it said in wide, loopy writing, 'Sevvy'.  
  
It was from Shaylee. She must have slipped it in his pocket in that moment that she was sitting on his lap that morning at breakfast. That woman was absolutely insane. And he fell for her.  
  
Snape sat down at his desk, thinking about his school days. Back when he was best friends with a bunch of jackarses, Lucius included. And, he'd been in love with a goddess. A goddess named Lily Evans.  
  
They'd actually talked, and were friends, as she was a Ravenclaw, and didn't hate each other. She didn't like James Potter though, and found the way he was always cruel to Severus disgusting. Then, Severus got offended when she was sticking up for him once, called her a Mudblood, and then she stopped talking to him at all.  
  
Later on, in their Seventh Year, the Marauders played a trick on the Slytherins and Lily was right by them, laughing hysterically.  
  
He would have been fine if it was someone else she'd fallen for. Some nerdy Hufflepuff.  
  
But this was James Potter! The King of Pranks, Head Boy, and the leader of the Marauders! Almost every single girl in the school had a crush on him.  
  
Heck, he even flirted his way through half of his classes. He turned some of the younger teachers into blushing teenagers again.  
  
No matter what else James did, that was the reason he hated him. James Potter could have any girl in the school that he wanted. But he picked the one that Severus was in love with.  
  
It was because of them that- He shuddered and grabbed his arm instinctively.  
  
Breathing in deep breaths, he forced the thoughts out of his head and opened Shaylee's note.  
  
(Note is inside of :: ::)  
  
::Hiya Sevvy!!::  
  
Wow, she was always so chipper and happy! How in the world does she do it?  
  
::I'm assuming you're in class with the Gryffies and Slyther-shits right now,::  
  
What the hell did she just call them? Is she insane?  
  
::so I decided that I'd write you a note to keep your mind off the explosion in process hiding in the back of the room.::  
  
A wry smile came on to Snape's face as he thought how very right she was.  
  
::But, then, I don't think I'm good enough to keep your mind off of it when your hair is on fire. Oh, but you've been washing it a little more lately, so there might not be enough grease to deep fry you.:: The note sounded optimistic.  
  
Snape snarled at the sheet of paper. Then smiled as he thought, 'She noticed.'  
  
::I'm just kidding Sevvy! Don't hurt poor little helpless Neville just because I insulted your lovely hair!::  
  
Snape almost snorted, before he realized he was in front of a class of 5th years. Helpless? Neville Longbottom was by no means helpless. He could create a deadly potion in 45 minutes. And he'd only been told to make a Liquidization Potion!  
  
::But, I just wanted to give you another option instead of murdering half of the 5th Year, so I'm making a list and checking them off!::  
  
Snape sneered as he wondered if she realized what she'd just said of herself.  
  
::And stop mentally comparing me to Santa Claus, you twit!::  
  
Snape smiled. How did she do it? She always knew what he was thinking, even if it was only through a note!  
  
::These are the things that needed improvement in your personality when I first met you. The ones set straight have been marked with a check. Beware and remember that murder is illegal!!::  
  
Snape inwardly groaned. He just knew that her troublemaking, hyper, optimistic personality had come up with dozens of quirky remarks that would get him either very angry, or laughing. And neither were good in front of a class.  
  
Just to be sure, he read the first thing on the list.  
  
::You refused to wash your hair, probably due to the lack of young Irish females in the staff.:: There was half of a check mark next to it and said next to it in parenthesis, ::(I still think you're going to be a French Fry at the Masquerade Ball)::  
  
That settled it. Snape folded the note and placed it in his desk for when he was in a truly bad mood.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione sat in Potions, watching her potion boil, and keeping a close eye on the clock. It was supposed to boil for 15 minutes, no more, no less. She had five minutes left, so she decided to take a break from "Clock Patrol".  
  
She looked around the classroom, seeing Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean whispering about something, Neville fretting nervously over his list of ingredients, a bunch of giggly girls passing a sheet of paper back and forth while suppressing laughs, and surprisingly, Professor Snape was sitting at his desk, reading something and smiling.  
  
Hermione looked away, a bit scared of the image of Snape smiling, and her gaze landed on Draco.  
  
He looked bored as he leaned on the desk and held his head up, as he thumbed through a book and yawned. He looked up at the clock and caught her gaze. He gave her a quick grin and raised his eyebrows in such a way that said, "You just can't keep your eyes off of me, can you?"  
  
Hermione grinned, shook her head, and looked back at the clock. Just in time. She had ten seconds left before her fifteen minutes was up.  
  
She took it off her fire just in time, and stirred in a shredded newt liver. Her potion turned a pale blue color, perfect.  
  
She looked around the room. Evidently she was the first one done.  
  
Her eyes went straight to Draco, who was now taking HIS cauldron off the boil. She studied his face as he carefully picked up his chopping board and scraped the liver into his cauldron.  
  
She smiled softly as a hair strayed from its careful mold and fell in front of his face. He blew it away, aggravated, as he finished his potion. She had to hold back her laughter as he glared up at his hair.  
  
He looked up at her and saw her grinning. He glared at her mockingly and tried to fix his hair.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Draco's hair was bothering him. He was so very close to skipping the next class (DADA) and sneaking off to Hogsmeade to get some more hair gel.  
  
But he wouldn't do this. He definitely didn't want to put up with Professor Weasley after she'd found out he skipped.  
  
He'd seen her spending time around Professor Snape, and he seemed to be rubbing off on her. She'd seemed perfectly nice the first day of classes, a bit too nice-- he must say, but she was getting to find a lot more humor out of their misery.  
  
For instance, she'd given Blaise, one of Draco's friends who always did decently in DADA, an F on an essay and told him to do it over again, without any explanations. She was also getting quite a bit of sarcasm in that mouth of hers.  
  
So, Draco instated his weary, yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in his life except for the impulse to merely soldier on (any guesses from where that came from??) towards the DADA classroom.  
  
He got a few strange glances, not only because he was trudging, but because he was trudging while pushing a single strand of hair out of his eyes every few seconds.  
  
When he finally entered the classroom, he plopped down at his seat, exasperated and worn out from all the trudging.  
  
"Bad day, huh?"  
  
He looked up to see Professor Shaylee Weasley looking at him sympathetically from her desk.  
  
He groaned. "Definitely."  
  
There was silence and he looked up to see her grinning at him. "What?" he asked, nervously, thinking she might be going a little more mad than she already was.  
  
She just grinned wider and said with a quiver in her voice, as if she was trying not to laugh, "Nothing!"  
  
Draco caught her looking at his hair, glared at her, and looked away.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee tried to hold back a laugh, earning her a few strange looks from the students entering her class.  
  
She sighed deeply, a system that always worked to calm her down. The thought of this only brought a broad grin on her face as she remembered the time she was with the twins and Ron in a Muggle store, and they'd intentionally snuck off when Ron was in the dressing room.  
  
They'd went straight to customer services, and Shaylee had sighed deeply before going up to the employee and acting really annoyed and told him that her little cousin had run off. She also said that they were late for a meeting and he needed to come to the front RIGHT NOW. Predictably, the employee had paged him over the intercom, and Ron had showed up minutes later, looking terribly angry.  
  
"What are you grinning about?" Ron's voice asked as he sat down.  
  
Shaylee giggled. "You remember the time I took you and the twins on a shopping trip and--" "I REMEMBER!" Ron interrupted, not wanting the rest of his year to hear the story.  
  
Shaylee laughed even harder. "Well, that's what I'm thinking about..." Ron turned away from her to have a conversation with Harry and Hermione.  
  
Shaylee also thought about the time she'd tricked Percy into thinking he was invisible whenever around Muggles. Ha! That was when he was really tiny. Heehee. She laughed softly to herself.  
  
That was when she heard the name 'Scott' come from Ron's discussion with Hermione, and she leaned further in to hear it.  
  
"Wow, I still can't believe you're going with him!" Ron sounded more amused than hurt.  
  
"Why? He's perfectly nice! And very polite, I must say!" Hermione defended.  
  
There was a pause, then Ron said, "I didn't say he wasn't! But, look at his best friends! You might as well be going with Fred or George!"  
  
Shaylee tried to keep the smile off of her face, really she did, but her concentration was broken when Lavender Brown, an annoying gossip, bent over Harry to talk to Ron and repeated eagerly, "Hermione's going with one of the twins? Are you serious??"  
  
That was the final straw, and Shaylee burst out laughing, not caring what her students thought of her sanity.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Snape groaned. First years. Oh, what fun.  
  
These imbeciles were almost worse than the 5th years. The 5th Years only had a couple "advantages" on this.  
  
Firstly, the 1st Years didn't have a Neville Longbottom in it.  
  
Second, there were no sets of distinct enemies in the class.  
  
Lastly, they were too young to gossip about secret love triangles going on in the school. Lord knows he'd heard too much of that in his teaching career.  
  
He stood in front of them and droned on and on, mentally convincing himself that he was enriching the students' minds.  
  
He gave them their assignment and sat down at his desk. He thought about taking out the note again and reading the rest of it, but the class wasn't being terribly annoying, just terribly ignorant, but that was usual.  
  
That was when he heard a whisper from the back of the room, saying, "Krissy, do I add in the shredded fungus in after the eggplant oil, or is that a different potion?"  
  
Snape groaned inwardly. Not another one! He thought that he'd be done with the nervous blockhead department after Longbottom would graduate (if he did). Evidently, he was wrong.  
  
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the note Shaylee had written to him and started reading again.  
  
::You need to stop referring to the Slyther-shits as 'your students'::  
  
There were no checkmarks beside this one and Snape rolled his eyes sourly as he read the caption in parenthesis.  
  
::(I mean, it's like just because you're the accidental biological father of most of them, you can call them YOUR students! Er, uh, I mean...)::  
  
She cut herself off and went straight into the next thing on the list.  
  
::You never laughed/smiled/were happy:: There was a huge checkmark next to this one, and the comment consisted of a winking smiley face.  
  
Snape rolled his eyes again, thinking that he'd have to have a rather interesting conversation with Miss Weasley when they next saw each other.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione yawned as she finished up her DADA essay ahead of time. And, just IN time, as the bell rang the moment she put her quill up.  
  
She waited patiently as Harry and Ron quickly and carelessly tossed their materials into their bookbags.  
  
Harry smiled up at her. "You can go ahead, Hermione. We'll catch up!"  
  
Hermione looked at them skeptically, but nodded, knowing that they just wanted to talk without her listening; she was used to them sending her off to the next class while they talked about anything she couldn't hear.  
  
This was confirmed when she turned slightly as she exited the room and saw Harry and Ron deep in conversation.  
  
As soon as she laid a foot out of the classroom, she was bombarded by Pavarti and Lavender, who immediately swarmed her as if they'd been best friends forever.  
  
"You are SOOO lucky!" moaned Lavender.  
  
"Yeah!" Pavarti agreed. "Scott is a major dream!"  
  
"Uhhhh..." Hermione stuttered, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't give her away.  
  
"Anyway," Pavarti interrupted her (thankfully). "Give us all of the details! Who asked who? What are you wearing??"  
  
"Yeah!" Lavender chipped in. "Spill!!"  
  
"Er..." Hermione fumbled for words. She didn't know what she was supposed to say when asked about the costumes.  
  
Suddenly, a voice from behind Hermione said, "We're going as a pair of Scottish Highlanders."  
  
Pavarti and Lavender looked up, their faces red with embarrassment as they looked at the face of Scott Ellis.  
  
Hermione looked up thankfully at Scott, who grinned at her and winked, with Lavender and Pavarti watching this whole exchange with hearts in their eyes.  
  
Scott went on. He seemed to be enjoying this. "And I asked Hermione," he said, slipping his arm around Hermione's shoulders. Lavender's eyes almost popped out.  
  
"She'd helped me with History of Magic after I'd fallen asleep..."  
  
His audience giggled.  
  
Scott immediately noticed the small hole in his story and said, "She's very smart, you know. She helped me find the right book to copy notes from."  
  
Pavarti sighed. "How romantic..."  
  
"Love in the Library..." Lavender added dreamily.  
  
Scott bit his lip, and Hermione had to look away to keep herself from laughing.  
  
"Why don't you two get a room?" came the familiar voice from behind them.  
  
Scott and Hermione turned around to see Draco staring at them coolly. Hermione glared at him, using their made up signs, communicating that she was actually grinning at him.  
  
Draco shook his head, looking disgusted, but conveying that he understood.  
  
"Why don't you get a life, Malfoy?" Ron's voice came from the open DADA door.  
  
Draco turned to look at Harry and Ron, turned back to Hermione with one eyebrow raised skeptically, which only meant what it looked like, and turned to leave.  
  
The whole group stared after him, and finally Harry stated with a low whistle, "That was weird..."  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
It was lunch time and Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, eating his lunch stubbornly.  
  
He'd been in a bad mood all day because of his hair, and he'd finally admitted defeat and let it do its own thing without trying to fix it.  
  
It had looked quite tacky at first, with only one strand loose, and he'd been giggled at by the younger students excessively.  
  
But, as the day went on, the rest of his hair gave out, and it looked like it would when he was in the pool.  
  
Draco, of course, had no idea what he looked like now. He just knew that he had tired of fixing his hair. So, that meant that whenever a girl started staring at him, he thought it was because they thought he looked strange, and gave them the evil eye.  
  
That was until Pansy Parkinson sat down beside him, making him want to throw up.  
  
"Oh, Draccy!!" she cooed. "Your hair looks quite handsome today!"  
  
Draco shuddered, thinking that either she had terrible taste in hair styles, which was very possible, or he'd actually done something right.  
  
"I hadn't noticed..." he droned passively. He just wanted to get Pansy to stop staring at him.  
  
"Draccy...." Pansy started again.  
  
Draco groaned. "What?" he asked, mocking her sick tone.  
  
"Why won't you tell us who you're going to the Masquerade Ball with?" Her face looked pouty.  
  
Draco sighed. Not this again!! "It's none of your business," he said roughly, getting tired of her prying.  
  
Pansy looked affronted and Draco said to quell any suspicions, "You don't know her. She's a friend of the family."  
  
This didn't make her any happier, as she wanted to be Draco's date, but she seemed a little more confident that he was going with someone worthy, a friend of the Malfoy family.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes at her gullibility and turned away, trying to get Pansy to go away, but his eyes landed on some interesting events up at the High Table.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee entered the Great Hall, late, as usual, and sat down in her seat with a plop, as usual. Snape was looking at her sardonically, as usual. He also was smiling slightly, which was very Unusual.  
  
"Oh, Merlin... What did I do??" Shaylee muttered outloud to herself, trying to keep her grin to herself.  
  
"Wonderful little note you happened to slip in my pocket this morning..." Snape commented.  
  
Shaylee took her mind off of the 'I've created a monster!!' thoughts, and giggled. "Why thank you!"  
  
"Though the list was quite..." he couldn't find a word for it.  
  
"Amusing?" Shaylee tried.  
  
"Mind-blowing?" she tried again.  
  
"Truthful?" she said, grinning up at him teasingly.  
  
"I think I was looking for 'an infringement of anything meant to be humorous or truthful'..."  
  
"Ha. Ha," Shaylee said dryly.  
  
Severus grinned, noticing that he'd finally said something that Shaylee didn't have a comeback to.  
  
Shaylee smiled and leaned her arm on his shoulder while whispering mischievously in his ear, "I still think you're going as a french fry!!"  
  
Snape glared at her, then retaliated. "Well, I think you really have ulterior motives for dressing up as a fairy!"  
  
Shaylee grinned and said, "Well, Sevvy, you seem to be learning the trade!!"  
  
She then seemed to just comprehend what he said and her mouth dropped open.  
  
"Oh, you take that back!!" Shaylee said angrily.  
  
"Nope." Snape just simply refused.  
  
"NOW!" Shaylee stood up.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"I MEAN IT!!"  
  
"Nope."  
  
They were attracting attention now and the Headmaster looked like he was going to start laughing any time now.  
  
"NOW, OR I WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR TITLE AS 'THE ONE WHO CAUSES HELL' AND I WILL WREAK IT UPON YOU!!!"  
  
"N--"  
  
There was complete silence.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
The day of classes had ended and Hermione was in the pool, treading water and thinking.  
  
Lunch had been quite amusing.  
  
She personally thought the Professor Weasley and Professor Snape were a bit of an odd couple, but then again, opposites attract! Plus, Snape DID seem to be lightening up just a tad bit, and she thought she could probably credit that to Professor Weasley.  
  
She was momentarily distracted as the door opened and Draco slid in the door and whispered, "Hey," softly while glancing out the door.  
  
Hermione grinned and started to say, "Hey yourself," but she was stopped when Draco held up his hand. "There are two girls out there, getting ready to come in the pool."  
  
Hermione nodded, then went straight to doing laps as Draco walked over to the diving board.  
  
A few moments later, the door opened again. Two girls walked in, chatting happily.  
  
Hermione didn't want to stare, so it took her a while to realize who it was.  
  
"Hermione?" A familiar voice said from the door.  
  
Hermione looked up, where she saw Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell.  
  
"Oh," she said, standing up. "Hi guys. What are you two doing here?" she asked, wondering the same thing inside her head.  
  
"Oh, just thought we'd get some practice in before we start swimming in PE," Angelina said, shrugging.  
  
"Yeah," Katie joked. "We don't want to have to be rescued by some hot classmate... Total embarrassment..."  
  
Hermione grinned as Angelina elbowed her.  
  
They bent down to whisper to her.  
  
"What's Ferret-face doing here?"  
  
Hermione tried to roll her eyes. "Oh, you know..."  
  
The girls shared a look that said they clearly didn't.  
  
"Oh... Well, he's supposedly here for the same reason and to practice his diving..." She leaned forward and said in a conspiring whisper. "But I don't believe him for one second."  
  
"Oh, really?" Katie looked interested, and slid into the pool to stand closer for better hearing.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Back in the Gryffindor Common Room later that night, Ginny Weasley was sitting on the couch by the fire, reading.  
  
She sighed. She hadn't gotten a date for the ball yet. It was getting closer and closer, and she still didn't have a date.  
  
Oh, she'd been asked, of course. There was Collin, and Neville. But she'd turned all of them down.They just weren't what she was looking for.  
  
Of course, who she was looking for had raven hair, emerald eyes and a scar on his head. But, then again, that wasn't going to happen.  
  
There was a commotion at the Portrait Hole and almost everybody turned around to see Ron playfully nudging Harry towards the fireplace.  
  
Ginny blushed and turned back around, pretending to fix her gaze on her book. She didn't want Harry to see her staring at him with a red face.  
  
There was silence as she realized that everyone who had been looking at them, was now looking at her.  
  
She jumped and whirled around when the sound of a clearing throat came from behind her. She blushed an even deeper shade of red when she saw Harry.  
  
"Oh, hi, Harry," she said, looking up at him questionably.  
  
Harry's cheek's turned pink.  
  
He took a deep breath and said, "Will you go to the ball with me?" quickly.  
  
Ginny's face resembled a tomato as she nodded meekly, grinned, and quietly said, "Yes."  
  
Harry grinned and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."  
  
Ron's voice boomed out from where he was still beside the entrance. "Great, Harry! Now we just need to find one for me!"  
  
Ginny looked up at him skeptically as Harry shrugged innocently.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
R/R!! Help take my mind off of the injustices of literature!!!  
  
Claudia Malfoy: LOL! Thanks!!  
  
Fallen-Angel: Heehee! Yep... Thanks... Just hope I don't turn him TOO lovesick...  
  
two insane chixs: LOL... Maybe I SHOULD pull a JK Rowling and kill off a kewl character... Like Shaylee.... I can kill her... She's mine.... ::ponders:: I'm just kidding!!!  
  
water demon: Thank you sooo much!!  
  
lilmichie: Thank yooooooou!! Wow, I'm hyper for having read without stopping since 8 AM this morning.... How do I do this.... Um, sorry, just kinda rambling there.... ^_^  
  
IceLily: LOL! I agree!! ^_~  
  
crazy girl: LOL, that happens to me too, when I read at school. And cinnamon buns work!!! Yum!  
  
Kelli: Thanks! Heehee....  
  
Time Bomb: (Chapter 19) LOL! Thanks a bunch! My sisters always say I'm TOO nice and happy in my writing... ^_^ (Chapter 17) LOL! Yeah, Shay would be a fun person to be around.... I wish she was real.... ^_^  
  
Meg: Hehe, sorry I can't answer all of those!! I CAN tell you that I'll eventually tell, tho...  
  
Cute-Kitty: Heehee! Thanks bunches!  
  
skyleia: Thanks! And, yes, I'll make sure they'll turn out fine. Anything that isn't a happy ending makes me mad... (which is why I chucked a certain book across the room just about an hour ago!)  
  
Principessa Squish Avina: Copy and paste is a lovely tool! I'm thinking about changing my name to, 'IwillMournHisDeathForever'... What do you think? 


	21. Getting Ready

Disclaimer: I'm in Kentucky right now, babysitting and being spoiled (and gaining weight-aren't relatives lovely?). Firstly, JK Rowling doesn't live anywhere REMOTELY close to Kentucky. Secondly, if someone asked her to babysit for them, she would just go hire a nanny for them (or at least she has enough money to). Thirdly, I see JK as the person spoiling, and making a relative gain weight, not the person who is being spoiled and gaining weight.. ^_^  
  
AN: If you read the disclaimer, you'll see why exactly I haven't been posting. (and no, it's not because I didn't want to torture ya'll with southern slang!). But I've been writing! Just ask my dear friend and helper, darkmarkgirl, because I ask her for help about every day. ^_^ THANK YOOOOOOOOU!!! Oh, and I was even gonna wait until I got back home to post, but then my return date got changed, so I decided not to be mean!  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione laughed as Ginny yanked her Jack-o-Lantern earrings off. Fred and George had made them for her, which should have forewarned her.  
They were specially charmed to that whenever someone said the word "Halloween," they cackled evilly.  
It had been cute the first few times. Then, as the excitement grew, the earrings got louder and louder. Ginny swore they could probably hear them downstairs.  
So, amid the hysterical laughter, Ginny banished the earrings up to her dorm room.  
Hermione stood up and stretched.  
"Well, I have to go get ready. I'll see you guys in a couple of hours."  
"It takes you two hours to put on a costume?!" Ron said incredulously.  
Hermione glared at him. "As a matter of fact, yes it does."  
And with that, she spun around and walked up the steps to her dormitory.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione opened her trunk when she entered her room. Under a stack of clean robes, there was a plastic shopping bag with "Disguise Drawer" printed on the front.  
She opened it and took out three separate articles of a gauzy, pink costume.  
"Oh, God.. Why did I pick out THIS costume," she lamented as she gazed at her costume.  
She sighed. There was nothing she could do about it now.  
She put the two body pieces on and looked in the mirror. She scrutinized her appearance and shrugged to herself. "It's not so bad, I suppose."  
At first glance, it seemed quite revealing, but under further study (and after she'd pulled the neckline up quite a bit), she came to the conclusion that it wasn't so terrible. Besides, it wasn't as if anyone would know who she was until the unmasking. And she'd figure that out when she needed to.  
She picked her wand up and performed the proper spells. When she looked in the mirror this time, she saw herself with much less bushy, much lighter hair and soft looking, barely noticeable makeup.  
Her hair had a slight curl and was pulled back in a fluffy, slightly curled pony-tail.  
She pulled the mask part of her costume out of her bag. It fastened onto the front of her pony-tail and draped down like a veil. It, like the rest of the costume, was pink.  
Stepping back to survey herself in the mirror, she thought critically, "I look like I just stepped out of 'I Dream of Jeannie,' "  
She shrugged. "It looks OK, though. I guess."  
She took some pink satin slippers out form under her bed and slid them on. She then opened her old oak jewelry box and took out a pair of pearl earrings to put on.  
She stepped back so that she could see her whole body.  
She groaned. She could still see her face plainly. This wasn't going to work! They'd be able to tell who she was immediately!  
She needed something to cover most of her face; she needed to be unrecognizable.  
She picked up her wand and conjured up a plain white mask that covered the area around her eyes and most of her nose. She charmed it so that it floated right in front of her face.  
She looked in the mirror and grinned. That was more like it! The only visible face feature was her mouth, and who really knew what her mouth looked like from memory?!  
She heard a knocking at her door. She glanced in the mirror one last time, then said quietly, "One moment."  
She grabbed her wand, concealed it in one of the long, draping pieces of cloth from her costume, and opened the door to a beaming Scott.  
Hermione grinned. "Great costume," she commented.  
He was wearing the whole Scottish attire. He had on the kilt, hat, spats, and drape that were once worn regularly in Scotland.  
Scott winked. "Cool, isn't it? The plaid is my mum's clan's plaid." "Wow. That's awesome!" said Hermione, and she meant it.  
"Well?" Scott prompted. "Shall we escape?"  
Hermione laughed. "Of course. Is the Common Room empty?"  
Scott winked again. "Not quite. But I have an idea. Stand still!"  
Hermione didn't have time to ask why. Scott had taken out his wand, pointed it at her, and said a spell.  
When she looked down, she was in an almost matching, more feminine version of Scott's costume. "Oh. my God."  
"Don't worry, little lass," chuckled Scott. "This is just to get through the Common Room. Once we're away from speculation, I'll change you back to your mystic self."  
"You've thought this through!"  
"Why, of course!" Scott offered her his arm. "Shall we?"  
They walked down the stairs and through the Common Room amid choruses of, "Awww. How cute." (Lavender, of course!), "Lemme take a picture!" (Colin, of course!), and "Why the Hell are you leaving so early?" (Ron. of course)  
They answered to no one, just walking through the room, looking straight in front of them.  
As soon as they exited the Common Room, Hermione had a fit of the giggles.  
Scott grinned. "Sshh. Come on. Let's try to get there without anyone noticing us."  
Hermione quieted down and suppressed her giggles. "Where are we meeting him, anyway?"  
"An empty classroom on the 4th floor," Scott answered.  
"OK. Let's go!"  
"Hyper, aren't you?" Scott asked cynically. "Save your energy. You'll probably have to fight off guys wanting to dance with you."  
Hermione blushed and grinned. "Thanks."  
They went up a few sets of staircases and headed down a hallway with medieval kings, knights, and queens.  
Hermione and Scott traded polite words with them, until Scott stopped abruptly in front of a door.  
"Is this it?" Hermione asked.  
"Yeah. Hold on while I change you back." Scott waved his wand and she was back in her genie costume.  
Scott carefully opened the door, peeked in and smiled. He opened the door wider and motioned for Hermione to enter.  
She stepped in and saw Draco leaning against the chalkboard.  
He looked up as they entered and his mouth fell open. "Wow." Hermione commented.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
R/R Thank you everyone! I'm trying to type, but I'm supposed to be babysitting, so yeah.. ^_^  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Slytherinangel922: It wasn't that bad, was it?? ^_^  
  
KEL-71E: (Chapter20~) Um, er OK. More. Here we go.. ^_^ (18~) Thanks!! (17~) Thank you! Thank you!! ::bows:: ^_^ Heehee! (16~) LOL, OK! Well, good job, then! One of my guy friends just told me he liked me, and asked me to the movies. I kinda like him, but the guy I like the most hasn't even talked to me during Summer vacation. So, yeah. ^_^  
  
Ander Lenson: Heehee. Thanks! If you're nice, I'll give you some of my creativity in a nice little wrapped package! ^_^  
  
Ellie4588: Thanks! It's nice to be reminded that I've worked too hard so far to get rid of it now. ^_^ Thanks a bunch!  
  
Kelli: Thanks! Crazy people are fun! ^_^ LOL, for that part from the book, I had already written that chapter, but not posted it, so after I read the book, I changed it a little from what it was. ^_^  
  
Cute-Kitty: LOL, don't worry! No violence! She was just mad!!  
  
Fallen-Angel: LOL. I deal with the people in white ever day. Don't worry! ^_^ And, I'll try not to make them too bad. I'm trying to add more Sevvy sarcasm. There's a bit more of that when I actually show them. ^_^  
  
Amethyst D: Thanks! ^_^  
  
Squish: Dork. I disown you!  
  
Psychofurby: Nice name! LOL, don't worry. I have a perfect confrontation in mind. But it won't happen for a while. But, you gave me an idea for something. So, yeah. THANKS!!!  
  
Two insane chixs: Yes, I know. ::sighs::  
  
Dreamflyer: LOL, me too! LOL, yes Draco stopped gelling his hair! ::tries to stop drooling::  
  
DiOsA4uO: Oh dear.. WOW!!! ^_^ She just looked very violent and Sevvy was scared!! Heehee, funny picture! A lot better than him naked. ^_^  
  
Super Geek: Thanks a lot!! I try.  
  
Water Demon: Well, thank you so much for reviewing. You made my day! ^_~  
  
Darkmarkgrl: LOL. I couldn't bear to read Sirius fics until about 2 weeks after I read it. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing, and just keep in mind that everything is happening for a purpose (In my fic that is-I don't think there was a reason Sirius died!!).  
  
Libby: Thanks, and I agree 110 percent!! My life is ruined. ^_^  
  
Phylicial3: I will!  
  
Shadowcat: LOL, yeah, the Ginny thing was hilarious! And, you know, that actually makes sense about that happening for Draco and Herm. Hmmmmm..  
  
Tom girl: Yes, I understand that. Grrrr.. ::starts scolding self:: No, I will NOT go tell JK Rowling off. No, bad Obsessed!!! ::coughs:: Er, uh, sorry bout that!  
  
Meg: ::laughs hysterically to self:: ::says in a sing-songey voice:: I know something you don't know! Er, yeah.. No one seems to have noticed it. Hmmmm. Surprises in the future!!!  
  
BelleThePhilosopher'sCookie: Er, oops. Sorry I thought just about everyone had read about there being someone dying in the book. It was on Rumor sites and there were even a bunch of newspaper articles about no one knowing who it was except her and her publishers. Hmmm, sorry! But, read it! You'll love it. Just, don't throw it too hard when the person dies. ^_^  
  
YSM: Yay! Thank you SOOO much! ^_^ I feel special now! 


	22. The Regular Activities of a Moose

Disclaimer: I went to the fair the other day, and after a while, the rides got really old, soooooo, my cousin, sister and I just went around looking at hot guys. I just happened to have a camera with me. Soooo, every time I saw a hot guy, I took a picture of him (this was fine, and quite fun, until a group of three or four looked up at me WHILE I was taking the picture, and we had to run away from them.). I'm planning on putting them up in my locker when school starts to make a certain someone jealous. ^_^ I don't think JK Rowling would do that! And she  
  
AN: I'm still here!! But, I'm typing. So, don't hate me!!!!  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Snape walked through the hallway, thankful that everyone was in their Common Room, and not in the hallway.  
Not that anyone would ever recognize him at first glance, but it'd still be embarrassing.  
He turned the corner to Shaylee's office. He stopped in front of her door and knocked.  
He thought he heard some music coming from inside the room, but he wasn't sure.  
If it was there, it stopped for a moment, and he heard Shaylee's voice call, "Come in! I'm not quite ready yet."  
He opened the door and discovered that there WAS music playing.  
There was a radio beside the door that he supposed probably led to her personal quarters. And the radio was on. Loud. And Shaylee was singing.  
"Clowns to the left of me! Jokers to the right! Here I am, stuck in the middle with you!"  
"Oh. dear. Lord.."  
Shaylee must have heard him, because she opened the door a bit and sang the next part in a high voice, "Weeheeheeheeheeee."  
  
She reached out, pushed a button and began singing instead, "It's your thing! Do what cha wanna do!"  
"God. Are you a bloody American?" Severus groaned.  
Shaylee's arm came out again and pushed the same button again.  
"We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine." she droned on.  
Snape groaned. "You're crazy."  
Shaylee reached out, pushed the button three times and held it down for a few seconds, then sang, "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell!"  
"I get the point!"  
"Why, thanks you!" came Shaylee's voice.  
She closed the door again, but kept singing.  
About five minutes late, Shaylee reached out and turned the radio off.  
"Ready?"  
"Uhhuh."  
Shaylee opened the door and her breath caught in her throat.  
"Holy shit. Looking good, Sevvy."  
He was dressed as a vampire. An extremely good looking vampire. He had the usual vampire ensemble, and had newly shampooed and conditioned hair back in a loose pony-tail. His mask was a plain white eye mask levitating in front of his face.  
Shaylee whistled. "Yow."  
She touched his hair to make sure she wasn't seeing things.  
"You are a French fry no longer!" she declared, looking up at him.  
Instead of the wry smile she usually got, the only response from him was to stare at her with wide eyes.  
  
As soon as Shaylee had opened the door, Severus froze.  
Shaylee truly WAS a fairy princess. Energy emitted from her whole body, giving the impression of a frail, mischief-loving creature.  
Her dress was short and earthy looking. It was mostly green, with occasional blues, yellows and reds mixed in. There was a flood of green transparent glitter cloth draping over the front of her costume. The viney belt tied around her waist had red flowers dangling from it.  
The bright green in the costume brought out the color of her hair, which was left loose, flowing over her shoulder. Atop her head sat a tiara woven from the same red flowers from her belt and their stems.  
On her feet were silk slipper flats, making her shorter than she usually appeared, so that she wouldn't be taller than her date.  
But, the objects that made her a true fairy princess were her wings.  
Severus couldn't quite tell if the wins were made of cloth or not. They looked like real fairy wings. They were green tinted, completing the Meadow Fairy look, and made her look as if she were about to start hovering right there in front of him.  
  
Shaylee saw him looking at her wings. "They work," she told him, grinning impishly.  
"Oh no."  
Shaylee laughed. "Don't worry! It's just in case!"  
Snape nodded, then paused and asked, "Just in case what?"  
"Just in case there aren't any good practical jokes being played!"  
  
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
Draco was still gaping. He'd seen Hermione in a bathing suit many times before, but it had always been a modest one piece and had left quite a bit to the imagination.  
Now, though, he saw that she looked more stunning than any image he'd ever had in his mind.  
The top was more revealing than anything he'd ever seen her in. And, to add to that, there was a large expanse of her midriff showing, giving him a peek at the most adorable navel he'd ever seen.  
After looking at her for a moment, it became fascinating to him; the costume was teasing him, making him think that it wasn't quite revealing enough and that he'd be fine if the neckline was just a TAD lower.  
Hermione, on the other hand, was not studying her date's costume. She was just gazing at his icy silver-blue eyes that stood out so wonderfully at this moment. They were staring at her in return, though she blushed as she noticed that he was looking a bit below her eyes.  
Feeling justified, she allowed herself to look over him.  
For the first time, she noticed his Arabian knight costume. The whole thing was completely black, contrasting greatly with his light coloring, probably the reason his eyes stood out so much.  
His black pants were quite tight and he wore a black shirt, covered by a black cape. There was a black piece of fabric covering his head, secured by a thin piece of black cloth tied around it. There was also another black fabric covering his mouth and nose, making it so that the only thing on his face she could see was his eyes, and some of his blond locks that were brushing against his forehead. (Sailor Moon fans, think of Moonlight Knight)  
"Wow." she commented again.  
She looked up to see Draco with a smile in his eyes.  
"You look great," they both said in unison, then laughed.  
"I'd better scoot. Kerry will shoot me!" Scott said, grinning. "Plus, there's enough sexual tension in here to put a MOOSE in heat!"  
"Ummm, do they even go into heat?" (I talked to my mom, and she said they did!)  
"That's beside the point!" Scott said, grinning as he left the room, closing the door behind him.  
Hermione glanced at the closed door, then at Draco, who was looking at her knowingly.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
OK, I had more, but I wanted to get this much up quickly, so I cut the chapter in half. Well, R/R and thanks to everyone who DID!!!  
  
Skyleia: LOL, I finished quickly, to bring you more chapters.. It's short, but yeah...  
  
Kelli: LOL, you see!!!  
  
Draco-Malfoy-Vegeta-luvr: ::sniffles:: I try not to think about it.. I've gotten over the sadness part, and am now in the "Denial" stage. ^_^  
  
Princessfantasy: Um, OK, I'll try I suppose, though I'm a tad confused. I might accidently slip it in though, but if I do, I swear it was an accident, and just habit..  
  
Artfully Lime: LOL. Thanks! My sister tried to get me to change it when she was looking it over for me, but I refused.. ^_^  
  
DraconisGirl: LOL, thanks. I try!! I know, my opinion of Neville has gone very high.. Oh, if only I wasn't so obsessed with Draco, then maybe poor Neville would have a chance. ::sigh:: Maybe someday.. Yeah, maybe JK Rowling will kill Draco. ::stops:: ::gasps:: OMG!!!! She wouldn't!!! OK, I'm fine now.. ^_^  
  
Angel Liz: Yes, there was actually part of the ball in this chapter, until I cut it in half. SORRY!!! ^_^  
  
ANGiE: Thank you soooo much!!  
  
KEL-71E: LOL. That's what I'm gonna do when I get home. But I can't now cuz it's long distance.. ::frowns:: Well, thanks! And enjoy this!!  
  
Amethyst D: They're all gonna die!!!! ::cackles evilly:: I don't think I'm gonna tell you yet!!!  
  
Darlawuzx: Thanks! Here it is! You can stop waiting!  
  
Meg: Well there's a six year old and an eight year old. However, the 6 year old is autistic, so that's a bit of a hassle. Like, today, I'm totally pooped. ::sigh:: But, I'm writing, so I'm happy!! LOL, don't let the kids kill you PLEASE!!! Don't leave me alone!!!  
  
IceLily: You can stop waiting, cuz here it is!  
  
Stupid Sister of Mine: You do realize that I'm never typing your name again?? ^_^ Thanks, I guess. A lot better than yours are!! ^_^ I'm just kidding ::gives hugs:: Be happy U R'nt here! The kids about killed me today!!!  
  
Two insane chixs: LOL. Yummy.. ::starts drooling just thinking about it::  
  
Darkmarkgrl: LOL, that's what I'm hearing from all my friends from home. I'll get out of here as soon as I can, but my aunt just went into surgery, and so they need all the help they can get! But, I'm trying! Thank you for all your help! You're a lifesaver!! (pick a flavor!!!)  
  
SwimGoddess: Thank you SOOOOO much! I'm trying to hurry, but it's a bit of a hassle..  
  
Fallen-Angel: LOL, good luck escaping... I've been trying for years!! ^_^ Well, I'm sorry about the cliffy thing. Most of the time, it isn't on purpose. ^_^ 


	23. If Looks Could Kill

Disclaimer: Heehee, I just got pre-paid today for babysitting. My lovely rich aunt gave me a hundred bucks, while planning to give me more later. That's a lot of money, for me, a poor middle child…. ^_^ As I've mentioned before, JK Rowling would probably hire a professional babysitter if someone asked her to babysit, and 100 bucks is nothing for her! Sooooo, because I'm here in Kentucky, gaping at my 100 bucks, I must not be in Scotland, feeling nonchalant about being richer than the Queen of England. ^_^  
  
AN: Oooooo, everyone, don't be mad, but the updates might slow down a bit, because my aunt just got out of surgery, and I have to be her nursemaid when my cousin (who is actually a nurse) is at work. Plus, I hafta watch the kids still, soooooo, I'm sorry REALLY! And I'll still try really really hard! And, I had actually had this typed up the day after I posted the last chapter, but ff.net was being eviiiiiiil…. So, I WAS thinking of all of you!  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Shaylee and Severus entered the Great Hall, where there were teachers dressed in various costumes charming decorations up onto the wall.   
  
Thay saw a Hippogriff clad Dumbledore coming towards them, beaming.  
  
"Why, Shaylee! Severus! How fine of you to join us!"  
  
"Shaylee happened to be just a tad behind schedule," Snape explained, grumbling. Shaylee pinched his arm. "We're happy to finally be here, Albus!" she greeted.  
  
He chuckled merrily and walked away, beaming.  
  
Shaylee leaned over to say something to Severus. "Why do you always say Shaylee, and not Shay, like everyone else does?"  
  
Severus looked down at her for a moment, then said, "Because I'm not everyone else."  
  
Shaylee looked a little embarrassed at this, so he added, "I want to find a name that no one else calls you. One that only I use.  
  
She blushed at this, and Snape looked away, not comfortable in a touchy moment.  
  
"You two can set up the DJ table," interrupted McGonagall, who had a horn on her head.  
  
"Lovely unicorn costume, Minerva!" Shaylee called as she tugged Severus up to right in front of the High Table.  
  
"We're having a DJ?"  
  
"Yeah," Shaylee answered. "All of the bands that the kids would like were already booked. Halloween's pretty big in the wizarding world…."  
  
"I know that. I happen to be a wizard…" Snape rolled his eyes, then asked cautiously, "Who's the DJ?"   
  
He cringed as Shaylee answered him. "Lee Jordan, of course! Who did you think?!"  
  
"I was just hoping it'd be someone controllable…" he said, groaning.  
  
"He's perfectly controllable! And he's quite humorous, too!"  
  
"Humorous? So that's what you call blowing up a room on purpose?"  
  
"No!" Shaylee defended herself, and her cousins' friend. "That's what we call 'Public Defacing of a Teacher'!"  
  
"Oh… Lovely…"  
  
"It is, isn't it?" Shaylee picked up her wand and drew up a table. Doesn't happen very often in MY classroom, but I've heard things…."  
  
Snape looked at her dryly.   
  
"YOW! If looks could kill…" Shaylee muttered, then turned away to adjust the DJ equipment that had been charmed to work in Hogwarts.  
  
"I never understood that saying… It's only half of a sentence. You never said the outcome. If looks could kill, what would happen?" Snape mocked.  
  
Shaylee turned around and glared at him. "If looks could kill, your head would magically fall off, then explode, and your feet and hands would shrivel up to prunes. Then, a rat would come and eat them up and drag the rest of your body to a giant paper shredder, where you would be made into nice little slices."   
  
Shaylee paused as she pictured this, then muttered, "I think I'm gonna be sick…"  
  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
  
Draco and Hermione ducked behind a statue as a pair of "werewolves" walked by, laughing. They had already ran into two other couples on their way to the   
Great Hall, and they didn't wish to be seen until they were in the Great Hall's dimmed lights.  
  
"Okay, come on," Draco whispered and pulled her out from behind the statue. "We're almost there."  
  
Draco looked around the corner. "OK. They're waiting for us by the doors."  
  
"Is there anybody else down there?"  
  
"No. Come on, let's go."  
  
They stepped around the corner and grinned at Scott, who was standing by the Great Hall's doors with a girl who was wearing the costume Hermione had been in   
when she was walking through the halls with Scott.  
  
"Hey guys! Only two minutes late! Good job." Scott waved at them.  
  
"Twelve minutes, technically," Hermione interjected.  
  
"Oh, you and your technicalities," Draco said while nudging her playfully.  
  
"Yes, but coming in late keeps us from being looked at in the light." Scott's date, Kerry, finally spoke.  
  
Hermione nodded and looked at her, smiling at the irony that Kerry was just around her height and had the same length and color of hair that she had.  
  
She was also relieved that Kerry was wearing a mask that covered her whole face.  
  
"Well?" prompted Scott. "Shall we?"  
  
Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Draco. Looking at his face, she realized that he must be more nervous than she was, and he had the right to be.   
  
  
Draco breathed slowly. This was it. His reputation could still be saved. He could turn away and still be the King of Slytherin in the morning. He could still go back… He could go tell his father to screw himself and he wasn't ruining his reputation for his stupid master.  
  
Wait, why was he thinking about that? Hadn't he decided…--  
  
Draco slowly smiled. What were these doubts? The whole reason he was here was because he was in love with Hermione Granger, and he intended to show her.  
  
He spoke with confidence in his voice. "Let's go."  
  
Draco then reached out and opened the door and they stepped in.  
  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Here we go. Short, but hey, it was up fast! So, be happy! Thanks for all the reviews! It helped me when I had a really hard day. I love you guys!  
  
SweetWater: lol, COOL!!! Thanks a bunch, too!  
  
Darkmarkgrl: LOL, my sister calls me Moose too! Hehe…. We have this strange obsession with moose. Well, you are now an orange flavored lifesaver!!! ^_^ And, you'll hafta see about the wings thing….  
  
Sapphire: Don't worry! Notice the little hint I put up at the end… ^_^ He's got it figured out….  
  
Chelsea: Thank you! And my imagination thanks you too!! ^_^   
  
Super Geek: LOL! Sorry, I just wanted to get something up…. I was tired and wanted to please people! Yay! I'm happy someone got my description! Yay!!!  
  
Meg: LUCKY!!! ^_^ Yeah, it's a good experience, I suppose, though he's quite a handful sometimes. But, my family really appreciates it, cuz my aunt just got out of surgery and they really need someone to help them…. So, I'm fine, and having fun! I had lotsa energy today, so I typed up a storm… (at least as big of a storm as I could muster)  
  
Angel-of-hogwarts: LOL! Thanks! I appreciate it!   
  
Draco-Malfoy-Vegeta-luvr: Yep… Ah, I feel very energetic today, so I'm not in a "Thinking About Sirius" mood… ^_^  
  
Kristina Chang: LOL, that's alright. I thought it was way too short to post also, but I really wanted to get something up. THANKS for the review!  
  
BellethePhilosopher'sCookie: LOL!! ^_^ You're starting to sound like me…. ^_^ Photographing hot guys is fun, though. DO try it sometime!! ^_^  
  
  
Dying Angel: LOL. Ooooh, so that's you over in the next cell… Hello! Sure, I would like to scheme together! I usually just scheme by myself, and that just makes the warden think that I'm talking to myself again… ^_^ LOL, I was crazy long ago…. But it always helps to be crazier….. ^_^ Thanks, and enjoy this.   
  
Writer Girl 03: LOL… OK. Well, I actually had this done a while ago, but ff.net was being evil…. Thanks!!!!  
  
KEL-71E: LOL. Yep, I've talked to some friends back home on IM and told them to call him for me and give him a message… I dunno if anyone has done it yet. Hmmm… Well, thankies. This is the other half!  
  
  
  
  



	24. Brazilian Polar Bears

Disclaimer: I went to the Lexington Shakespeare Festival last night, and it was FUN!!! Robin Hood was the one playing, and I really enjoyed it. It was hilarious!! ("You don't know my dueling style! I don't HAVE a dueling style!!") And while I dunno, JK Rowling might, and probably does enjoy Shakespeare plays, she probably wouldn't (though she could if she really wanted to) travel all the way to Lexington Kentucky just to watch Robin Hood in an outside theater so she could be dinner for a bunch of mosquitoes…   
  
AN: OK, did anyone else have some weird thing happening with the letters on the last chapter? Cuz I did and I was thoroughly spooked… It was like the ancient Egyptians typed my fic for me… ^_^  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Nothing happened. The walls didn't crumble. The sky didn't begin to fall. Hardly anyone even looked their way.  
  
Draco and Hermione looked at each other. They had both been expecting people to recognize them and start a riot immediately. Draco burst into a grin. "Well, care to dance?" He offered her his hand and she took it, beaming at Scott and Kerry as he led her out on the dance floor.  
  
It was a fast song that Hermione had heard on Lavender's wizarding wireless multiple times. It was one of those that you couldn't understand what they were saying, but had a really good beat.   
  
A few of the dancing couples they passed glanced at them with an inquisitive look in thei eyes, as if they were trying to place who they were. A couple of them even called out, "Great costume!" as they passed.  
  
As the song faded out and was replaced by a slow song that she didn't exactly care for, Draco nodded over to the refreshment table questionally and Hermione agreed.  
  
As soon as they were able to hear what each other was saying Draco said, "Look over at Scott and Kerry. They're playing their parts well."  
  
Hermione followed his gaze to where Scott was joking with Fred and George and Kerry was sitting (just as Hermione would be doing) and talking to Ron and Harry.  
  
Hermione stifled a laugh as she noticed their costumes. Harry and Ginny were dressed as Eric and Arieal from the Muggle video 'The Litle Mermaid". Ginny looked like she was having a great time, but Harry looked very uncomfortable.  
  
Standing beside them was Ron and Lavender, who he had convinced to go with him. Lavender was adorned with long, sickly bright feathers, and Hermione supposed she was a peacock. Why Lavender chose to be a male peacock, she didn't know. In fact, Hermione doubted that Lavender knew that it was the male peacock that had the bright colors.  
  
Ron also looked quite happy, though Hermione noticed him glancing sourly at Scott and Kerry every few moments. He was dressed in a bright orange Chudley Cannons outfit, making him not only stand out, but also making it obvious who he was.  
  
Needless to say, both Harry and Ron believed that Kerry was Hermione.  
  
Draco got Hermione some punch and leaned over and whispered, "Let's hope no one's spiked it yet..." Hermione grinned and rolled her eyes. "Yet?"  
  
Draco grinned back. "We need a little fun..."  
  
Hermione elbowed him. "Jerk. And you're supposed to be a prefect?"  
  
Draco shrugged, then looked like he'd just had an idea. "Hey, you wanna go eavesdrop and see how good Kerry is at impersonation?"  
  
For a moment, Hermione looked as if she was going to tell him off. Then, a mischeivous gleam entered her eyes and she agreed.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~

Shaylee and Severus sat at the High Table, the only table that hadn't been moved to the side, talking to Professor Dumbledore.

Actually, Snape was the one talking. Shaylee was looking out at someone and nodding or shaking her head.

Finally, Snape looked over and said, "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

  
Shaylee blushed. "Oh, nothing!" she claimed innocently.

Dumbledore looked at them, amused. "I believe Miss Weasley is conveying to her cousins whether 'the coast is clear' to spike the punch.

Shaylee cursed. "How'd you know?" "Well, judging by how close you are to your cousins, and that bottle shaped bulge in that red headed dragon's robes, I figured it out quite easily."

Shaylee looked slightly put out and shook her head at a disappointed looking dragon.

Snape cocked an eyebrow at her and she glared at him. "Remember the wings, Sevvy." 

He groaned. "_Somebody _had better pull a prank tonight…" This made the headmaster laugh delightedly. "Severus, I must say I enjoy the change that Shaylee seems to have triggered inside of you."

Severus looked at him sullenly and Shaylee giggled.

"Yep, Sevvy's gonna be a full fledged prankster when I get done with him!" She scooted her chair closer and leaned over to start playing with his hair. "You know, when clean, your hair is kinda sexy…" Shaylee didn't even bother keeping her voice down.

Severus blushed and Dumbledore beamed at them.

"Why don't you two go dance?" Dumbledore suggested.

Shaylee brightened up. "Yeah! Come on, Sevvy! Let's dance!"

Severus looked at her as if she was called a Brazilian Polar Bear.

"What? Come on, Sevvy!"

"No," he answered shortly.

"But no one even knows who you are!" Shaylee protested. "Unless they happen to notice that I'm sitting in my usual meal seat…" Severus pointed out.

Shaylee pouted as he went back to talking to Dumbledore.

Then she got an idea and stood up.

"Where are _you _going?"

Shaylee smiled lightly as she stepped behind him. "You don't have to look at me like I'm a Brazilian Polar Bear!" (This made him look at her even more strangely) "I'm just going to ask Scott if he—"

Snape stood up immediately. "Alright, alright. I'll dance."

Shaylee giggled and winked at Dumbledore as they walked down to the dance floor.

When they were well out of hearing range, Dumbledore leaned over the table and said, "Mr. Jordan? I have a request for a song."

~*~*~**~*~*~

Thank you reviewers! And thanks to everyone for putting up with the weird stuff from the last chapter… It kinda confused me….. But, I at least go tit so you could read the actually story part now… So, it'll be OK, I suppose. It just looks kinda funky! ^_^ Anyway, thanks to reviewers!! It's the ball now. It's gonna get exciting and stuff will happen that sooooooome people have been waiting for. (Gosh, there's something I promised a long time ago, and it hasn't happened yet, but I finally found a time….)Well, thanks!

Lizzie Malfoy: LOL, thanks. The internet here is hooked up to the cable, so when the cable isn't working the internet doesn't either. Sooo, that's why it took a little bit longer… But, thank you!!! LOL…

BelleThe Philiosopher'sCookie: LOL… Well, my mom knows that I have an obsession with moose… And we're pretty close and have the same dirty sense of humor…. She only said, "Why do you ask?" in a really weird voice…. ^_^ But I told her it was for my fanfic, so yeah.. ^_^ And, thanks. I'm just gonna stop worrying about that chapter and let it do its thing….  


Water Demon: Heehee, thanks soooo much! I feel special… ^_^

Xamphia: LOL, ok that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks! 

Dying Angel: LOL! Thanks for that info! I'll remember that and have the bar ready when the guard comes next… Oh, and sorry I let my storm get loose… ^_^

Skyleia: Thank you! ^_^

Allee kat: LOL. Watermelon is yummy!!! ^_^ Hehe, thanks. And the ball enters! Dun dun duun DUUUUN!!!!  ^_^ Thanks and keep reading!!

Hairy pudding: LOL, nice name!! ^_~ And thank you soo much. I try to make the serious parts not too funny... ^_^

Meg: LOL, yeah… Let's just say that there's utter chaos and confusion after midnight… Well, I _live_ in There's-too-much-corn-in-Indiana, but I'm in I-love-a-change-of-scenery-Kentucky right now. LOL, and I think I got it so that you could at least read it…. I'm trying this chapter in HTML and seeing if it does it differently….

Writer Girl 03: Thanks for reading it anyway! And if you wanna go back, I believe I got it so that you could read most of it….

Wink: Thanks! I think it was something like that so thanks!

Tainted Love: Hmmm… Thanks! I think I got it so that it's at least readable… ^_^

XoXoXo: Ummm… Thanks!! ^_^

Darkmarkgrl: LOL. Thanks…. I didn't even think of that… ^_^

DraconisGirl: LOL… Yes, I believe it was… Hmmm…. And, yeah, I'd go for Neville in the 5th book, cuz he sounds a lot more brave, and I feel sorry for the poor guy, and just wanna give him a BIG hug!!!

Super Geek: LOL… Yes, you hafta wait… And sorry it was a long wait… The cable wasn't working here, and the internet is hooked up to the cable… Grrrrrrrrrr…

Dracosgurl_chrissy: Thank you!! ^_^


	25. Funky Music!

Disclaimer: Woohhoooo! It's almost time for me to go home!!! I get to see my four sisters. My two little ones and the two big ones. And I get to go to my best friend's B-day party. And I get to go to work... Ugh... Detasseling is the most vile job on Earth, but if I wanna take Driver's Ed next year, I hafta get the money myself... (sticks tongue out at mom) And, anyway, JK Rowling obviously doesn't need to take Driver's Ed, nor would she have to detassel for the money... She'd just have to call her Swiss Bank Account, and _Woosh_!! LOL, nah. Dunno if she has a Swiss Bank account..... ^_^ So, because I hafta work in the HOT, mosquito infected cornfield, I'm NOT JK Rowling. (and I probably won't be able to post until school starts, either, and I was mad at my mom for making me work....)   
  
AN: Yeah, if you didn't bother to read the disclaimer up there, when I get back, the updates might slow down a bit, because I have to go get itchy in the cornfields... But, I'm taking my notebook with me and am writing during breaks... ^_^ So, please note, everyone, even through the hard work, and eventually starting High School, I _am_ trying to get this out as fast as I can, am I think I'm doing pretty good, due to all the stuff that has come up... So, _please_ don't complain. I'm already giving myself a hard time about it! (LOL, that's probably the maddest you'll ever see me, knock on wood)

AN2: Thanks SOOOO much to darkmarkgrl (and her dad) for my song suggestion… (Hehe…. You will laugh! You will cry –I did, at least—You will shoot the author for OOC-ness!)  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~  
  
Hermione and Draco sat down discreetly at the table a few seats away from where Ron and Harry were conversing with Kerry.  
  
"At least it's better than last year. You were spending so much time with Vicky, and hardly talked to us."  
  
"Viktor," Kerry calmly reminded Ron and as they were rolling their eyes, Hermione and Draco were looking at each other, amazed.  
  
They looked back as Kerry started talking again. Amazingly, she'd managed to get a good impression of Hermione's voice in the short time she'd heard it. If Hermione hadn't been herself, she would've sworn that was her talking to her friends.  
  
"So, Lavender, you do realize that it is the male peacock that uses the bright feathers as an attraction for a mate?"  
  
Hermione held her fist to her mouth as she tried to hold back her laughter. Draco turned away and bit his lip.  
  
Ron chickled nervously. "Uh, well... Hey, look at those costumes over there!" He pointed over to the other side of the hall.   
  
Hermione turned away as she started to shake with laughter. "Hehe... I never noticed how pathetic he was..." "So, _now_ you admit it," Draco teased.  
  
"Yeah, that's a beautiful costume..." Lavender sighed.

"I think that's Shay, because of the red hair, but I don't know. She didn't tell anyone she had a date."

"You can't expect her to tell you every detail of her life, Ron," Kerry scolded.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other in shock. "She's good," Draco commented. "I know," Hermione whispered. "Scott must have told her a lot about me…" "Or she's psychic!" Draco added playfully.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "But the costume they're talking about _is really pretty," she said, pointing over to where a fairy was skipping onto the dance floor, towing along a disgruntled, though elegant looking, vampire._

Draco leaned closer and squinted. "That's not Professor Snape, is it?"

Hermione also looked closer. She then looked back up at Draco, her eyes wide. "Professor Snape and Professor Weasley?" Draco just looked back at her, blinking.

Suddenly, she grinned and shrugged. "Well, I guess we aren't the only ones making a statement tonight!"

The reminder egged on his mind as he put his arm around her shoulder and the song ended.

Lee's voice echoed through the Hall, but they shut him out as Hermione nestled into his shoulder and sighed contentedly.

It was only one of the twins laughing loudly and saying, "When Lee uses the words 'request', 'Professor', and 'it isn't my fault' in the same sentence, that means, 'Plug your ears!' " that broke their spell.

~*~*~**~*~*~

Snape grumbled as he walked behind Shaylee to the dance floor. "You'd better be happy that this is a slow song, because I don't fast dance!"

No sooner had these words come out of his mouth than Lee's announcement came on.

"OK, guys. I had a request from a professor and have to play it, Just, keep in mind. It isn't my fault."

There were loud laughs as Severus turned around and glared at a beaming Dumbledore.

Shaylee giggled. "Oh, dear," she said in an annoyingly chipper voice. "Whatever shall we do? It's bound to be a fast song… Hmm! I guess we'll just have to dance!"

Snape turned his glare towards her, which she answered with a cheeky grin.

Then, with the opening chords of the song, her grin faded slightly and his scowl turned into a sly smile.

"Erm, actually, how about we sit this one out?" Shaylee suggested. "This is the music of when I was young!" Snape said, moving closer to the dance floor.

"Yes, I suppose you _did grow up in the 70's, didn't you?" Shaylee said feebly, following him._

Snape grinned back at her, and she stopped, standing there staring at him helplessly.

**_Yeah, there was a funky singer   
Playin' in a rock & roll band  
And never had no problems, yeah  
Burnin' down one night stands  
And everything around me, yeah_**

Snape finally gave up trying to get her out there voluntarily, and grabbed her wrist and started dragging her out on the floor. 

**_Got to stop to feelin' so low  
And I decided quickly,Yes I did  
To disco down and check out the show _**

"Hehe, Yeah, that's what we're doing…" Shaylee said nervously, but still finding time to make fun of the song.

**_  
Yeah they was_**

As the chorus started and they reached the middle of the dance floor, Severus started dancing. Let's just say that he would have looked pretty cool back in the 70's…Shaylee closed her eyes in embarrassment.

**_Dancin_****_' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'  
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted  
Play that funky music white boy_**

 "Oh… my God…"

**_Play that funky music right _**

Shaylee started smiling and a high pitched noise came out of her mouth.

**_Play that funky music white boy  
Lay down that boogie and play that funky music till you die_**

Shaylee then started laughing loudly. "That's a once in a lifetime sight!" she commented, giggling at him.**__**

**_  
Till you die, oh till you die_**

**_Gonna_****_ play that electrified funky music, yeah  
  
_**

"Come on, Shaylee! Dance!" Severus said, teasingly. Shaylee's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No! I am _not_ doing _that!" she said as Snape spun around and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her in. "Oh…. OK! But, if I get made fun of by my students, it's all your fault!" "Oh, __your students, are they?" Snape teased as she started dancing too._

**_  
Hey wait a minute  
Now at first it wasn't easy  
Changin' rock & roll and minds  
And things were getting shaky  
I thought I'd have to leave it behind_**

"Hey, you didn't leave much of your love for disco behind…" Shaylee teased him, laughing. Snape laughed too, but at her. "Well, you must have!" Shaylee glared at him.

**_  
But now it's so much better (It's so much better)  
I'm funking out in every way  
But I'll never lose that feeling (no I won't)  
Or how I learned my lesson that day  
They were_**

**_Dancin_****_' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'  
And just when it hit me somebody turned around and shouted_**

The students around them had started to notice how they were dancing, and they started to join in. Shaylee laughed at the irony. "Oh, so now the King of Hell is starting a trend?"**__**

**_Play that funky music white boy  
Play that funky music right  
Play that funky music white boy  
Lay down that boogie and play that funky music till you die  
Till you die, oh till you die_**

As the song wound down, Shaylee and Severus stopped dancing and started laughing hysterically. 

**_Play that funky music  
Play that funky music  
Gotta keep on playin' funky music  
Play that funky music........_**

The rest of the people dancing cheered and Lee Jordan's dubious voice echoed over the room. "Well, I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be…"

Snape and Shaylee walked back up to the High Table again, still chuckling.

Snape sat down, exhausted, and Shaylee plopped down as usual.

Dumbledore laughed, delighted. "Oh, that was excellent, Severus! And, Shaylee, you are a fast learner!"

Snape snickered. "_Ouch!_" Shaylee cried and slapped his shoulder.

"I must admit, that was fun. I think we might've scared any students who had any idea who we were… Especially Sevvy! He's not the disco type…"

Severus laughed again. "Oh, let them be scared! I needed that!"

A grin broke out on Shaylee's face, as she studied her date. This was just too much. Severus Snape was having fun… Weird… But, a nice change.

~*~*~**~*~*~

OK, guys. I'm leaving for home tomorrow, so I wanted to post this before I go to my friend's B-day party and don't write…. I was planning to write more, but it'd take too long.  ^_^ Thanks all lovely reviewers! I really appreciate you guys! 

Cute-Kitty: Thanks! ^_^

I'm obsessed with obsessed: Oh dear… Wow, what a compliment… I like the name tho… Hehe, thanks for giving me something to rub in my friend's face… ^_^ And thanks for the compliment too! Keep reading!

Meg: Yes, everything is going to be explained…. Just wait! Actually, most of it has already… But, _do_ keep reading! Thanks!

Writer Girl 03: LOL, thanks. I was just sitting there thinking, "Hmmm… Oxymoron… I need an oxymoron…" and came up with it! ^_^

cHOcOLaTe kisses: LOL. Thanks! And yep, Ron is going with Lavender. And, Harry will get his dance. But not yet!

Dracosgurl_chrissy: LOL. Was this exciting? Or just scary? ^_^

Theantisociall: Yay! Thanks so much! And, wait and see, but really, do you think I'd make it boring enough so that no one notices? ^_^

Agent Daidouji: ^_^ Thanks! 

FantasyIsMyLife: ^_^ Thanks! Most of the time, I sit there thinking, "Oh dear… What's happened that I can use for my disclaimer??" OK, cool, I'll talk to you next time we're both on. And  thanks!

KEL-71E: LOL. That's alright! Hehe… Don't seem too desperate, or you'll leave me all alone in "Singlesville"!! ^_^

ShadowRogue: Yay! Someone used my description! Yay! LOL, yes I agree with  you about the stupid Cartoon Network thing… ^_^

Super Geek: Heehee thanks a bunch!

Lizzie Malfoy: I will. And _please_ (^_^) keep reading!

Angel-of-hogwarts: LOL… Um, interesting… Maybe I can work something in like that… Actually… ::ponders:: Hehe… ::cackles:: I do believe I can work that in later.


	26. Escaping from different assorted stalker...

Disclaimer: OK, I just tasted the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans for the first time, and I swear, the aftertaste of booger tastes like butterscotch!!! (And they couldn't be more close in the taste of vomit.... Ugh) And earwax tastes sweet. Sooooooooo, because I was soooooooo interested in what they actually tasted like, I don't believe that I was the person who thought them up in the first place... Meaning I'm not JK Rowling. Besides, I don't think she goes all the way to Indiana to get any she might want.... 

AN: Hmmmm.... Well, I'm home! But school is about to start.... Grr... Oh, and about the story, sorry about the cliché song coming up (I decided to use the cool one I had decided on before for something in probably the chapter after next... So, yeah) 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco and Hermione walked around the Great Hall, commenting to each other on people's costumes. There were quite a few people who were the traditional prince and princess, but there were a couple who demonstrated their creativity. For instance, one couple they passed was a Blast Ended Skrewt and a sphinx. Then, there was a group chatting in a corner that were dressed up as comical versions of teachers. 

Hermione laughed. "Look over at the person dressed as Professor Snape, Draco!" 

Draco looked over at the group and a grin spread across his face. "Nice..." 

There was a person who looked as if they had dropped a black wig into a container of vegetable oil and were playing dress up in robes _much _too big for them. 

"None of the other ones are exactly complimentary either..." Hermione tore her gaze from the group and started looking around at everyone else. 

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced behind her. Draco looked at her questionably, but she just shook her head and told him not to worry about it. 

A few moments later, when they were weaving their way through different groups, she looked back a gain and her eyes looked extremely worried. 

"What's wrong?" Draco whispered in her ear. 

"We're being followed by a banshee," Hermione whispered back, under the pretense of leaning into his shoulder. 

Draco's heart skipped a beat. Oh, he hadn't! That jackass... Didn't he have enough faith in his own son-- not that he should, but still!! 

The next time they tangled through a group, Draco chanced looking back only to see a person in a very nondescript banshee costume. The whole face was covered, so he really couldn't tell, but the body structure looked quite different from any of the Death Eaters he had ever met. 

"I don't think it's anything," Draco assured her, but inside he was growing worried. Maybe he should wait to do this! Then, at the inquisitive look that Hermione was shooting up at him, he decided that he was being paranoid, and that he really shouldn't care if his _father_ was even here. 

Draco became aware that there was a familiar pair of blue eyes staring out of him from an 'Oh-so-cliche-Snake'. He cleared his throat and began to walk away, but he stilled and shuddered as Pansy's high pitched voice sounded from behind him. "Draccy!!!!" 

He grimaced and looked sourly at Hermione. 

"Jason! Blaise! Have you seen Draccy?" He almost sighed in relief, but then looked pleadingly at Blaise's eyes, which looked at him curiously, but then answered to a desperate looking, bright pink (Draco wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be) Pansy, "No. I have no idea where he's gone. Tell me if you find him, though. I need to ask him something." 

Draco looked at Blaise gratefully as a determined Pansy went off to the next group. Blaise, however, just looked at him strangely. 

Draco gave him a "You'll see," look and walked away with Hermione, who was trying to hold back her laughs. 

Finally, when they were out of ear shot, she burst out in giggles. "_Draccy? **Draccy?**_ Wow..." 

Draco glared at her. "Well, now that we're away from the pestering females who would love to be crawling all over me..." "Yeah... Aren't I the lucky one?" Hermione quickly and sarcastically entered. 

"--why don't we go dance?" 

Hermione grinned. "Let's!" 

That's when the song changed. Hermione grinned even wider. "Oh, this will be fun..." "Never heard it before," Draco commented nonchalantly as Hermione led him out on the dance floor. "That's because you aren't a Muggle, and you don't have any relatives who are American!" 

"Hey!" Draco said defensively. "My Uncle lives in America!" "And I bet he's one of the ones that you disowned!" Hermione teased him, but shut up as the words started and they started dancing. * 

**_Now I've had the time of my life_**   
**_No I never felt like this before_**   
**_Yes I swear it's the truth_**   
**_and I owe it all to you_**

Draco looked slightly puzzled and Hermione looked up at him, grinning. "What?" 

**_'Cause I've had the time of my life_**   
**_and I owe it all to you_**

"Well, if you're with someone, and you were having a great time, it _would_ probably be because they were with you, right?" 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "With Muggles, they usually don't dissect the words. If it sounds sweet, it's a good song." 

**_I've been waiting for so long_**   
**_Now I've finally found someone_**   
**_To stand by me_**

"Good job," Draco said sarcastically and Hermione slapped him on the shoulder. "This is supposed to be romantic." 

**_We saw the writing on the wall_**   
**_As we felt this magical fantasy_**

"I'll stick to the WWN, thank you very much!" "You just don't appreciate the music, Draco!" "Exactly." 

**_Now with passion in our eyes_**   
**_There's no way we could disguise it secretly_****__**

"And is there a way you could disguise it non secretly?" Draco quipped, but shut up when Hermione glared at him. 

**_So we take each other's hand_**   
**_'Cause we seem to understand the urgency_**

Draco was silent for a moment, but then started snickering. "Oh, dear..." Hermione didn't do anything. That _was_ quite humorous. "So, this is what Muggles like?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not all of them," she answered smoothly, flicking his shoulder. 

**_just remember_**   
**_You're the one thing_**   
**_I can't get enough of_**   
**_So I'll tell you something_**   
**_This could be love because_**

"Could be? After all that, it just _could be_? Wow... Muggles are awfully unsure of themselves...." 

"Are you just going to make fun of the song, or are we actually going to dance, egotistical wizard?" "Ouch!"**__**

**_I've had the time of my life_**   
**_No I never felt this way before_**   
**_Yes I swear it's the truth_**   
**_And I owe it all to you_**

**_With my body and soul_**   
**_I want you more than you'll ever know_**   
**_So we'll just let it go_**   
**_Don't be afraid to lose control_**

The suggestive look on Draco's face made Hermione roll her eyes, then hold back a smile and laugh. 

**_Yes I know whats on your mind_**   
**_When you say:_**   
**_"Stay with me tonight."_**

Hermione and Draco both started laughing, drawing the attention of the people near them. Hermione coughed, and looked straight ahead, while Draco tried to muffle his laughter. 

**_Just remember_**   
**_You're the one thing_**   
**_I can't get enough of_**   
**_So I'll tell you something_**   
**_This could be love because_**

**_I've had the time of my life_**   
**_No I never felt this way before_**   
**_Yes I swear it's the truth_**   
**_And I owe it all to you_**

Hermione yawned. "I never thought I'd agree with you, but I think the song is getting kinda old." 

**_'Cause I had the time of my life_**   
**_And I've searched through every open door_**   
**_Till I've found the truth_****__**

"I thought that truth always lies behind closed doors... How did they find it behind an open one?" Hermione cracked, smiling up at Draco.**__**

**_and I owe it all to you_**   
****   
As the instrumental part started, Draco felt the surge of guilt that he was growing sick of. Truth always lies behind closed doors... Yes... Until someone opened it. 

**_Now I've had the time of my life_**   
**_No I never felt this way before_**

**_(Never Felt this way)_**

"Hermione, you wanna go outside? It's getting kinda stuffy in here..." Draco said nervously, edging towards the door. 

"Yeah. The song was getting quite annoying, anyway. Let's go." 

**_Yes I swear it's the truth_**   
**_and I owe it all to you_**

**_I've had the time of my life_**   
**_No I never felt this way before_****__**

As the song came to an end, Draco stopped paying attention to what the song was saying, but instead worried about what would happen after he said what he had to say.**__**

**_Yes I swear it's the truth_**   
**_And I owe it all to you_**

'It'll be the truth, Hermione. I'm going to tell you the truth...' Draco thought as they walked outside. 

"That's loads better!" Hermione said as a breeze went by. "I can breathe!" Draco chuckled halfheartedly as the song finished up inside. 

He looked around and made sure there were no nondescript banshees hanging around and took in a deep breath. He was doing the right thing. 

"Hermione, I need to tell you something..." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

MUAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Ahem.... Sorry. I felt that I absolutely needed to do that. I was in "Torturing Mode". ^_^ But, I think U'll know what he's saying.... So, don't worry!!! (But, then... I might make him chicken.... Or break up with her.... Or interrupt them... You never know!!) 

But, thanks to my lovely reviewers!!! If you check with anyone I've talked to this past week, I had TERRIBLE Writer's Block, and it's only because of reading through all my reviews and remembering a certain song and what my friends and I say when it plays that got me through it.... (Hehe, if Kitty, Jessi, Leela or Lisa happens to be reading this, always remember "The Dream") 

* Yes, I realize that the words start right out on the song, but give me some room to breathe here! Really.... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

darkmarkgrl: Nah, don't think that's a word, but that's OK. The song we picked is coming up. I just had to have this song in as a tribute to a little dream I had once... Hehe, long story, but ask me about it sometime!! But, the serious moments will come! Right after a certain cat finds it's way out of the bag.... ^_^ 

HobbitAngel: LOL. I never even thought about that! That is, like the ultimate "Make People's Butts Hurt" PE activity, and I didn't even think about it! Thanks sooooo much! You are awesome!!!! 

Draco-Malfoy-Severus-luva: LOL. I love the name! Great! And, I can tell you that there _is_ going to be an unmasking..... Dun dun duuuuun. But, whether or not they get caught... You'll hafta wait and see! 

Water Demon: LOL. Thanks. And, I got through work by thinking about my fanfic and planning it out word for word while I was pulling the evil little tassels off of the evil little corn stalks... ^_^ And I battled the "Plague", so here it is!!! ^_^ 

Arwen5: Thanks a lot! That's OK. At least I know you like it now!! ^_^ 

Alicia: Sis, get a life that isn't stalking me, and telling me about irrelevant things... Please! And, I am writing, and you yelled at me and said it was your turn. Hypocrite jerk!! 

Pyrefly: ^_^ Thanks so much! Do keep reading! 

Cute Kitty: ^_^ Thanks a bunch!!!! 

Kelli: Heehee. Erm, yeah.... No comment.... (Did I just totally give something away???) Well, ANYWHO!!!! ^_^ Thanks bunches!!! ^_^ And forget if I was acting strange... ^_^ 

icyrose42167: LOL. Don't worry. I'm only 14, and every time there is a dance at school, my friends and I go up and demand they play it... LOL. Most of the time, they think we're crazy, or a chaperone sent us up there to ask.... (LOL) 

chelsea: Heehee! Thanks a lot!!! I'll try not to make you wait too long. 

darlawuzx: LOL. Thanks! ^_^ 

glittergilr: Hehe. I was waiting for someone to say that... Yeah, I noticed I was kinda holding back on the DM/Hr stuff, so that's why this chapter is totally them... No Snape and Sev. And don't worry, while Shaylee and Snape play a big role, the story is actually centering on Draco's and Herm's little problem... You'll see what I mean later on.... ^_^ 

islandgirl: LOL. Heehee! Thanks a bunch!!! I wish I had a teacher like her too.... Then maybe I wouldn't be so reluctant on going to some of my classes... ^_^ 

Velvet: Oooooo, thanks SOOOO much!!! Don't worry.... I won't think you're too terribly strange.... ^_^ 

allee kat: That is very ironic, because it actually _was_ on the radio when we were about to go to sleep... LOL, needless to say, I was on the floor laughing.... (considering I was sleeping on the floor, it wasn't actually that amazing.... ^_^) 

Agent Daidouji: Hehe... It just kinda crept up on everyone... Including me... LOL. And thanks a lot!! 

Angel Liz: Thanks! And I had lotsa fun. We had a Harry Potter cake!!!! Hehehehehee... ::cackles greedily:: 

IceLily: I will!!! ^_^ 

girldevil: I did as soon as I could!!! And hope you enjoy it!! ^_^ 

FantasyIsMyLife: Hehe... It's coming up. You hafta wait a few chapters tho!! Gotta please all the people waiting for romantic stuff... ^_^ 

dracosgurl_chrissy: Hehe.... Yeah... I was kinda scared when posting that chapter... Thought everyone would think I was insane... ^_^ They do, but at least they like it!!! 

GreyEyes: LOL. Thaaaaanks so much!!! ^_^ 

Lady Coia: Hehe... I know... Strange, but got me into a funny mood! ^_^ Hehe. Thanks and keep reading!! 

Writer Girl 03: Thanks! I needed that a lot!!! ^_^ And, I guess that is a way to describe it. Thanks a lot!! 

Dying Angel: LOL. Welcome back!! See, they were going to let me out, but then they confiscated my computer, and read my fic. They decided it was too crazy to make Snape dance like that, so I'm stuck in here still... ^_^ 

KEL-71E: Hehe... It was, wasn't it!!! Well, I hope you enjoy this one a lot! And, I had a date this Saturday! (Yay for me!!!) Yeah, that's a once a lifetime occurrence... ^_^ 

Sapphire: Yep!! See, I was trying to do it slowly... But, the opportunity arose, and I couldn't help myself!!! ^_^   
  
  
  



	27. The Truth of The Matter

Disclaimer: I really shouldn't be writing this right now. I should be getting ready for band practice. Now, I dunno if JK Rowling plays an instrument, or if that instrument is the flute... But, if she does, she certainly doesn't play it in the High School Band at my school, which happens to meet a week before school starts. (Grrrr....) So, since I am using the art form of procrastination so that I don't have to get ready for band practice, and it is a week before school starts, I guess I am not JK Rowling!!! 

AN: I'm hurrying! I'm trying to at least finish the ball before school starts. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

McGonagall walked by Snape and Shaylee. "It's your turn, Severus. Good luck..." 

Severus grumbled as he stood up. 

"Don't worry, Sevvy! I'm going with you!" Shaylee said as she bounced out of her seat. "And my turn is right after yours, so you can just stay with me the whole time!" 

"Great," he answered sarcastically, though he stopped and waited for her. 

It was Severus' turn to walk around the Great Hall and make sure that there was no rule breaking. He was sure one of the main reasons that Shaylee wanted to patrol with him was so that she could stop him from noticing any rule breaking that might be going on. 

"Well, let's go! We have to make sure there are no evildoers!" Shaylee struck a pose that caused Severus to keep walking-- in an opposite direction than she was facing. 

"Funny!" Shaylee said as she caught up with him. Without any warning, she popped up on the other side of him, and when he looked at her, she stood up on her tip-toes and moved so that he couldn't see behind her. 

Severus sighed, exasperated. "Shaylee, who are you hiding and what are they doing?" 

"What?" Shaylee tried her best to look innocent. "I'm not hiding anyone!!" 

Then, with some quick, fluid movements, Severus sidestepped Shaylee and saw a person dressed as a black cat lap dancing with a dog, which made the situation even more amusing to Severus. 

He sighed exasperatedly and as he walked towards them, the entire small group around them froze. "Do spare me from any cross-species mating here, please..." he said sarcastically as the cat jumped up and the dog looked up at him sheepishly. 

"Ten points off of...." Snape paused as he realized that, because of the costumes, he didn't know what house to deduct points from. 

He groaned and asked, "What house are you in?" 

The cat whispered, "Ravenclaw" and Shaylee giggled insanely as the dog muttered, "Slytherin, sir..." 

Severus looked even more peeved that he had just accidentally taken points off of his own house, and turned to walk away, with Shaylee following him, unable to stop laughing. 

Finally, Severus turned around and glared at her, causing her to stop laughing, though when he turned back around, she started snickering softly. 

"Ooooo! Look Sevvy!!! Our mutual student is going outside with his date!!! I wonder if they're going to snog in the bushes..." For a second, her face looked highly critical, but then she beamed and cried a little too loudly, "Let's go watch!!!" 

Severus groaned. "I wasn't even aware that m- I mean, young Mr. Malfoy was coming..." 

"Yep!!! And, they'd kill me if I told you who his date was, but you wanna know???" 

"I know that he had told Ms Parkinson that he was going with a friend of the family, but I am thoroughly aware that he was probably only using that as a decoy to keep her away..." 

"Of course!! But, guess who it is!!" 

Severus looked at her and said sarcastically, "Evidently you _want_ to be killed by a Malfoy... Who?" 

"It's someone forbidden!!" Shaylee gave him a hint. 

"Great. Just what I need... Lucius storming in here when he finds out his son came with someone forbidden..." 

"Nah. His daddy knows!" 

"Then it isn't forbidden..." 

"Yes it is!! Because Daddy Lucius wanted Draco to take her for eeeeeeeeeeeeeeviiiiiiiiiil purposes-" (Shaylee seemed to be getting a little hyper as she explained this using large hand motions) "-and Draco did. But then he started liking her... And, so he took her because he wanted to, not because Daddy Lucius said. And it's 'forbidden' for the rest of the school too, because if someone likes one of the two, they don't like the other one, which really doesn't make any sense, does it?" Shaylee stopped to take a deep breath. 

Severus just shook his head and said, "You lost me around when you were talking about evil purposes...." 

Shaylee glared at him. "Lucius made him take her, but Draco actually likes her, which I think is very romantic...." 

"And how do you know all this...?" Severus looked skeptical, though slightly worried. 

"Well, I _am _the PE teacher, and they meet in the pool. I can peek in there any old time I want to. Besides, I _was_ the one that got them together in the first place!!" 

At Snape's questioning look, she added, "Oh, I just hexed Draco to fall off the Diving Board in the Pool when they were the only ones there. She _had_ to save him...." 

Severus looked thoroughly shocked, then said, "You drowned a student?" 

"I knew she would save him! Plus, I waited until I knew that he was all right!" 

Severus just rolled his eyes. He then started walking towards the doors leading outside. 

"Sevvy? Um, Sevvy?! Where are you going?" Shaylee walked briskly after him. "When I said we should watch, I was just kidding!!" 

Severus stopped right before the door, which was open to let a breeze in, and looked outside, where he saw a genie and an Arabian Knight sitting on a bench and talking. 

Shaylee stopped right behind him, and screwed up her eyes and plugged her ears. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that eavesdropping isn't nice?" 

Severus just looked back at her with a glare and whispered back, "Didn't _your_ mother tell you not to drown students?" 

Shaylee looked hurt and she paused before she whispered so quietly he could barely hear her, "The only thing my mother ever said around me was, 'Is it a girl, Jeffrey?' " 

Snape looked at her questionally, but his attention was grabbed by something being said outside. Apparently, he was satisfied, as he stepped back, and took her arm. 

"I guess you were right..." He beamed down at her. "No evil purposes here." 

Shaylee seemed awfully quiet, and "un-hyper", and Severus was shocked when he looked down and thought he saw a small tear in her eye. 

Taking his years of teaching experience and being surrounded by his nieces and nephew into mind, he asked softly, "Will you tell me about it?" 

Shaylee looked up at him, looking slightly surprised. She paused for a moment, then said softly, "My mum had two boys, but she had always wanted a girl. You know, someone whose hair needed braided, or who needed advice about boys..." A slight smile broke on her face as she said, "It turns out, if she'd waited a little longer, she would have had to give advice about boys to one of my brothers...." Her grin faded as she continued, "But, when she was pregnant with me, she got really sick..." She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She turned her head away. "She died two hours after I was born... She had her girl for two hours." 

She took in a deep breath. "I haven't even thought about it since I was about 14. I actually needed that advice about boys...." She grinned up at him. "I flooed my brother instead..." 

Severus smiled at her. She sighed happily. "That was nice, getting that off my chest..." She looked up at him mischievously. "You'd make a good daddy, you know!" 

Severus just blushed and his mouth fell open as she giggled and said, "Why don't we go dance? There aren't any evildoers! They'll wait until it's my shift to do anything wrong." 

Snape rolled his eyes. "And you'll let them, of course!" 

"Nah, unless it's a really good prank!" 

Severus sighed as she pulled him on the dance floor, where a new song had just come on. 

They stood there for a moment, trying to figure out if it was a fast dance, or a slow dance, and finally Severus led them into a fancy two step. 

"Oooo," Shaylee commented. "Sevvy can dance..." 

Snape just looked smug as the words started. 

**_She's blood, flesh and bone_**   
**_No tucks or silicone_**   
**_She's touch, smell, sight, taste and sound_**

**_But somehow I can't believe_**   
**_That anything should happen_**

"Um... Is the music speeding up, or is it just me?" Shaylee said nervously and started listening to the music closer. 

**_I know where I belong_**   
**_And nothing's gonna happen_**

At that, the tempo sped up, and Severus said with a sly grin, "Hold on." Shaylee didn't even have time to ask why, before he spun her out and back in as the chorus started. 

**_'Cause she's so high_**   
**_High above me, she's so lovely_**

"Woah...." Shaylee said faintly as she came back to him. "Where'd you learn to do that?" 

**_She's so high, like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite_**

"Many, many years of lessons," he answered as she spun out again, this time to the side, and on her own accord. 

**_She's so high, high above me_**

The music went back into the two step for a moment, but then sped up as soon as it had slowed down. 

**_First class and fancy free_**   
**_She's high society_**   
**_She's got the best of everything_**

"No, only the best dancer as a date," Shaylee chided him with a wink. 

**_What could a guy like me ever really offer?_**

"Dancing lessons?" she suggested as she came back from her last spin and Severus laughed. 

**_She's perfect as she can be, why should I even bother?_**

"Do I even have to say? Maybe you can dance....?" Shaylee laughed as Severus looked at her skeptically. "I think we get it. I can dance... You can't...." "Hey! Ouch!!" 

**_Cause she's so high_**   
**_High above me, she's so lovely_**   
**_She's so high, like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite_**

"How about Persephone?" Severus joked and Shaylee agreed with a whoop. 

**_She's so high, high above me_**

The instrumental part was fast, and more like the music that Shaylee was used to. "Yay! Freestyle!! I don't look stupid!!" "Are you sure about that?" Snape said snidely, studying her. Not missing anything, Shaylee slapped him on the shoulder. 

The music slowed down again, and they started dancing together. 

**_She calls to speak to me_**   
**_I freeze immediately_**   
**_'Cause what she says sounds so unreal_**   
**_'Cause somehow I can't believe_**   
**_That anything should happen_**

Severus grinned as he realized that's how he felt. He most definitely _didn't_ deserve Shaylee. 

**_I know where I belong_**   
**_And nothing's gonna happen_**

Shaylee groaned as the music sped up again. "Evil, fickle music.... Evil evil...." She seemed to be floundering for a word, and laughed as Severus suggested, "Purposes?" 

**_Cause she's so high_**   
**_High above me, she's so lovely_**   
**_She's so high, like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite_**   
**_She's so high,_**

"Fickle, fickle, evil purposeful music!!" Shaylee joked as it, once again, slowed down and finished. 

**_high above me_**

They smiled at each other as the song stopped, and Shaylee said happily, "Come on, let's go find some rule breakers! And I'll try not to hide very many!!!" 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco sat down and faced Hermione, who was looking back at him comfortably. "Yes? What do we need to talk about?" 

He took a deep breath. He'd been thinking about the most delicate way to handle this, the one least likely to make her run out on him before he had the chance to finish his story. He hoped he had figured one out. 

"Well," he started. "You know how my father is..." 

Hermione looked up at him sharply and nodded. 

"And, you also know that there have been rumors floating around, about how I was just like him...." Hermione nodded softly, knowing how hard it was for him to talk about it. 

"Well, a few years ago, that became true. My father and his friends used me as a gopher for them if they needed something done at Hogwarts for the Dark Lord." He swallowed painfully and continued, with Hermione listening. "My father gladly gave my services to the other Death Eaters, claiming that they would get all credit when it was through. They didn't know it, but my father's real plan was to inform the Dark Lord upon my Coming of Age all that I had done, so that I would already be a higher rank." 

Hermione, always the sharp minded one, knew that there was a point to this, but she also knew it was hard for him to talk about it, so she reached for his hand and listened quietly. 

"They say the Dark Lord knows everything.... He found out." 

He sighed. Now he was getting to the hard part. 

"Needless to say, he was very pleased, and this Summer, he gave me my own assignment. My father was adamant that I must get it done. He was so worried about me doing it right, that it was just like the old days, when he was actually telling me how to do _his_ assignments." 

Hermione was looking at him worriedly. "And, did you do it?" 

Draco sighed and looked at her in the eyes. "You were the assignment, Hermione." He ignored the confused look in her eyes, and the two shapes he saw standing by the door and continued. "I have no idea why, but The Dark Lord needed you, and I was supposed to befriend you enough to lure you there." 

There were tears in Hermione's eyes. "Thank you for warning me," she said as she tried to stand up and leave. Draco was definitely not going to let this happen. That was exactly what he had been trying to avoid. 

"Hermione, I hated you back then," he tried to explain, as he blocked the door. 

"Oh, thanks," Hermione said, tears now running down her cheeks. 

This softened Draco's voice. "But I don't now." 

Hermione thrust away his arm as he tried to brush her tears away. 

"I can't believe you! You lied to me! I thought you actually liked me! I fell for you! If it weren't for you, I could be in th-" "Yes, I lied to you. But I'm telling the truth now," Draco interrupted. 

Hermione calmed down, and her cheeks turned bright red. Without any words, she turned around and sat back on the bench. Draco looked at her warily, and she looked back expectantly, waiting for the rest of the story. 

"I'm not going to do what my father says. I'm not becoming a Death Eater, and I'm most _definitely_ not giving you to that S.O.B." 

Hermione was looking at him, but not in his eyes. 

"You know why I'm not going to do those things?" 

He moved his head, trying to get in her line of vision, and said, "Because you've changed me. I don't want to do any of those things anymore. We can beat them." 

She looked stubbornly the other way, and Draco took a hold of her chin, and made her look in his eyes. "I'm not doing these things, for the same reason I'm telling you the truth." 

Hermione looked at the air over his shoulder, and he moved so that his eyes were right in front of hers. "I love you, Hermione." 

Hermione inhaled a deep breath of air as she studied his eyes. 

A grin broke through her tears. "About time, Draco..." she said, as she engulfed him in a hug. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Oh, I'm so happy!!! Awwwwwww..... OK, now that I got the sickly sweet part done, I can get on to the death and violence... Er, I mean.... I'm just kidding!!! (I hope.... you never know what will pop into my head!!) So, review, and tell me what you think of Shaylee's gay brother, Hermione blowing a fuse, and Draco Malfoy turning all sweet on us..... ^_^ And, thanks to all who reviewed!!   


Wakabuchi: LOL! Thanks a bunch!! And, I could understand you perfectly. And, thanks again! I hope you enjoy!! 

Sapphirell: LOL! Thank! And he told her. Was it what you expected? 

darkened-soul: Heehee. Yep. Thanks a lot! I forget which one you wrote, but if I actually took time to review it (I know-- I'm a hypocrite) then it has to be good!! 

shadows-zephyr: Hehe... Nice use of symbolism there... And thanks!! 

Meg: LOL... Truth comes before marriage... Usually. ^_^ 

dracosgurl_chrissy: Forgiven!!! ^_^ And, I hope you enjoyed the little talk... ^_^ 

Lady Coia: Heeheeeheee. Well, here it is. As soon and long as I could get it with Band Practice going on.... ^_^ 

islandgirl4: Hehe... Sorry bout that. Well, here's more. And, thanks!! 

IceLily2: LOL. Oops... That's come up a lot lately.... Well, I hope you like how it turned out.... ^_^ If not, too bad! }:) 

Cute-Kitty: LOL. Lucky Charms are good. And, you should feel special.... Your marshmellow thing gave me an idea for later in my ficcy.... ::cackles evilly:: Hearts, stars, and horseshoes, clovers, and blue moons, pots 'o gold, and rainbows, and me red balloons!!!!! Ahem.... Sorry.... ^_^ 

FantasyIsMyLife: I agree with you! That's why I cut out about a paragraph of the song at the end. It was getting tooooo long. 

Draco-Malfoy-Severus-Luva: LOL... Yep... Soon, but not yet. Hehe... Isn't someone hyper... Wow.... You are acting like Shay.... I think most peeps think that's be a compliment, tho.... So, thanks anyway!!! 

angel-of-hogwarts: Hehe.... I'll think of you all those times when I'm just laying there, thinking how I should go write, but I'm too lazy to stand up.... And thanks! Shay and Sev even got their own song this time!! 

Dying Angel1: Well, maybe we can plot against that person... Hmmm.... We could torture them by giving them bits and pieces of fanfiction, but only once a week, and not all of it! ::cackles evilly:: LOL, thanks a lot! 

diane: Oooooo, yay! Thanks a lot, and sure!! 

girldevil: LOL. I updated ASAP. And I hope you like!! 

ShadowRogue: LOL. Yes, being evil is fun.... Though, I try to hold back on really evil cliffies, good ending points basically hafta be SOME sort of cliffy.... And thanks!! 

darkmarkgrl: Oops! Got off a little too soon. Sorry!! ::catches cookie and gobbles it up:: Hehe, thanks!!!!!   
  



	28. What In The World Did They Put In The Pu...

Disclaimer: It is 2 AM. I am up, talking to my sister. It's her turn to visit my aunt, so she's in Kentucky, and I miss her lots (but she R/R'd my fic, so she's in my good graces again... ^_^ Now, JK Rowling _does_ have a sister. However, she doesn't have 4... (like me) And even if she did, she's not up at this hour, IMing one that is in Kentucky..... ^_^ Hmmm... I am.... She's not.... I must not be her!!!! 

AN: I don't believe it will be possible to get the ball done before school starts, as it has already started, and there will probably be about 3 more chapters left of the ball. However, you all have my word that I will NOT abandon this fic, and I will lug my notebook around with me everywhere, and will probably pretend to be sick a couple of times, so I can write in the Nurse's Office... ^_^ (It's quite easy.... Hehe....) 

AN2: OK, the thing that they've done with the names is driving me crazy, so I'm thinking about maybe changing mine... Probably something along the lines of 'Luna_Lovegood' or something. (She's cool! And she's just like me!!! --I can read upside down, so I actually do it someimes just for a laugh--) So, review and tell me what you think... Or should it be something to do with Shaylee.... Hmmm.... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

The excitement in the Great Hall was growing as it grew closer to midnight. Shaylee and Severus (mainly Severus) had to try harder to hold back all the mischief. Shaylee, was, quite obviously, having a blast while her companion was busy deducting points. 

On the other side of the hall, Draco and Hermione were sitting, talking quietly and holding each other's hands. They were smiling softly at each other, and whenever someone walked by them, they had a sense that they were walking across something that wasn't to be disturbed. 

"So, are you sure that we should stay for the unmasking?" 

"We can't go anywhere else. The parties for the little kids are going on until midnight," Draco ponted out. 

Hermione sighed and smiled up at him. "I'm sorry that I'm so worried." 

"That's alright, Hermione. But, I've got everything under control. I've done exactly what my father said so far." He grinned down at her. "He never exactly said not to tell you...." 

Hermione laughed. "I'm sure he thought you'd have more sense than that!" she mocked, knocking on his head. 

"Sense? Me? No... A witch named Hermione took all my sense away..." 

"You're very corny, do you know that?" 

"Of course... I'm a Malfoy and we're having a sweet moment. I have to be corny." 

Hermione giggled. "You make it sound like one of those steamy Muggle romance books...." 

Draco cocked his eyebrow. 

"Well, the mean, evil, bastard and the nice, sweet angel hate each other, and then they evil bastard is nice.... And they live happily ever after..." 

Draco was still looking at her strangely. 

"What?" 

"_Steamy_?" 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee giggled insanely as Fred snuck towards the refreshment table, as Snape's back was turned, telling off Lee Jordan for attempting to hide firecrackers in any female's hair that had passed the DJ. 

Lee was making all the worst comments he could make, causing Snape to get mad multiple times over, giving Fred enough time to pour his bottle into the punch, and get back to the table. 

As Lee went back to choosing a song, Severus turned to Shaylee exasperated. "If this doesn't end soon, I'm going to shoot myself..." 

Shaylee pretended to be astonished. "Die from a Muggle weapon?! You wouldn't!!" She paused, then grinned. "Let me do it for you!!" 

Severus just rolled his eyes. "Let's go get some punch, and hope to God that the idea of spiking it hasn't entered anyone's heads...." 

Shaylee shrugged nonchalantly. "I doubt anyone would exactly get over your watchful eye to spike the punch..." 

Severus seemed assured by this and poured them both some. 

Shaylee took it with a hidden grin and immediately downed it, while Severus took a small sip. Shaylee had to commend the twins. It didn't taste the slightest bit different, and that thought, rather than the alcohol, made her extremely hyper. "Weeeeell, Sevvy, it's almost my turn, isn't it?! And you can't punish anyone, so HAAAAA!!! Maybe I'll even try out my wiiiiiiiiiiiiings....." With that, she fluttered a few inches off of the ground, then came back down. 

Severus looked at her skeptically, then bluntly took her glass and set both of the drinks down. "We won't be having any more of that, now, will we?" 

"Aw..... Come on, Sevvy-kins!!! Everyone just needs to lighten up!!" She hiccuped. "Ooops... Drank that too fast..." 

She took a big exumberent breath and held it in for ten seconds, then let it go. "Hehe... That's better!!" 

She took a step forward and stumbled to the side. "Holy shit... How strong was that stuff...?" 

Severus groaned. "Why don't we go on the dance floor, and you can settle down from there? At least you won't be drawing any public attention..." 

Shaylee grinned. "Well, Sevvy, that's a brilliant idea!! Let's go!" She tried to tug on his arm, but she stumbled again, and Severus ended up having to pull her back to steady her.... 

"Irish blood my ass..." Severus muttered, and Shaylee tried to swat his face, but got the edge of his ear instead. 

As they reached the dancefloor, the song started to fade out. Severus groaned and told Shaylee, "If it's a fast song, then you are going up to sober down with Dumbledore." 

"Please, pleeeeaaase, PLEASE be a slow song!" Shaylee said quit loudly. Evidently, Lee Jordan had heard her, and recognized her voice, because a slow song started playing. 

Over where Draco and Hermione were sitting, Hermione looked up with a gasp. "I love this song!" she exclaimed. Draco grinned at her. "Well, let's dance, then!" he said, helping her up. 

**_And I'd give up forever to touch you_**

All their conversation stopped as Draco pulled Hermione into his arms and they started dancing. 

**_'Cause I know that you feel me somehow_**   
**_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be_**

Draco grinned down at Hermione with an eyebrow raised, and she smiled back, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

**_And I don't want to go home right now_**

**_And all I can taste is this moment_**

Severus was trying to steady Shaylee and seem like they were dancing. It wasn't an easy feat. 

**_And all I can breathe is your life_**

Shaylee shivered and Severus mentally kicked himself. The girl was wearing a short dress with flimsy material, and he hadn't even thought that she might get cold. He brought his cape around front to cover Shaylee, shrouding her from sight. 

**_'Cause sooner or later it's over_**   
**_I just don't want to miss you tonight_**

**_And I don't want the world to see me_**

Hermione and Draco looked at each other and in answer to Hermione's questioning glance, Draco leaned down and gently kissed her cheek. 

**_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_**

**_When everything's made to be broken_**   
**_I just want you to know who I am_**

Hermione looked up at him with a bleary looking smile, then hid her face in his chest. 

**_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming_**   
**_Or the moment of truth in your lies_**

When Hermione heard these words, she looked up at Draco smiling lovingly, and he felt so extremely satisfied1 that he had told her that a feeling of infinite happiness filled him. 

**_When everything feels like the movies_**   
**_Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive_**

For the first time since they had been on the dance floor, Shaylee looked up at Severus. "Hm.... This feels good..." The arms that were laying loosely on his shoulders wound themselves tighter and met behind his neck. 

**_And I don't want the world to see me_**

Severus sighed as he looked down at her. They were exact opposites, yet he felt himself falling for her more each day. He didn't know how it was possible, he didn't think that the students would either. 

**_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_**   
**_When everything's made to be broken_**   
**_I just want you to know who I am_**

As Shaylee grinned in a softer, more sentimental version of her regular grin, Severus thought that she probably knew exactly what was happening, that plotting little witch. 

The music went into a long instrumental part, and Hermione and Draco held each other tightly, as Shaylee looked up at Severus with her head tilted slightly and a curious look in her eyes. 

**_And I don't want the world to see me_**   
**_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_**

Draco reached down and squeezed Hermione's hand gently. "If you feel more comfortable, we could leave right before the Unmasking." 

**_When everything's made to be broken_**   
**_I just want you to know who I am_**

Hermione looked at him thankfully and nodded. 

**_And I don't want the world to see me_**   
**_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_**

Shaylee let her head rest on Severus, and breathed deeply as she nuzzled his neck, causing the breath to catch in Severus' throat. 

**_When everything's made to be broken_**   
**_I just want you to know who I am_**

**_I just want you to know who I am_**

Hermione stood up on her toes to deliver a quick kiss to Draco's mouth. 

**_I just want you to know who I am_**   
**_I just want you to know who I am_**

As the music faded, Shaylee and Severus moved apart slightly, and looked into each other's eyes. 

They were getting closer, then Shaylee said, "I think I can stable myself now... I need to go ask the twins what they put in there..." 

Severus sighed as she let go of his hand and walked towards the table where the Gryffindors were hanging out. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Don't worry and don't kill me!!! She has a reason that I might just explain after the ball!!! She likes him, really she DOES!!! Oh, and I have decided to respond all the reviewers who reviewed the ball right after I end the ball, because I don't have time to write responses and get this up, because I have school tomorrow. Thanks! 


	29. And the Unmasking begins

Disclaimer: I hate Algebra... And I hate PE... And I hate the stupid dress code.... And I hate having to pay lots of money for band stuff this year... And I hate how all my friends have lunch different from me.... And I hate how I can only see the guy I like for 5 minutes in the morning.... And I hate how I never have time to write, except for at lunch, because I don't have anyone to talk to, so that's not really a good thing... I just hate school this year! I couldn't wait for it to start! Now it's really annoying. I LOVE school, and my favorite classes are the first 3, which I have with friends... Then the rest suck.... Yes, I need to stay at school for Band, Biology, and English, then leave... ^_^ That'd be the perfect day.... See, JK Rowling doesn't have school.... She might hate any of those things, but she doesn't have to worry about them!!! 

AN: I'm skipping homework for you, so don't complain!!! Oh, and I wrote today because we were doing standardized tests, and I had lotsa free time, because I'm a genius, and all!! ^_^ JJ... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Severus watched as Shaylee went over and cornered two people dressed as a dragon and a giant spider. They answered a question and she glared at them. 

One of them said something quickly and she grinned again. They looked around to make sure no one was watching them as the Giant Spider handed her something, which she hid. She waved as she skipped off back to the edge of the dancefloor, where Severus was still standing, waiting for her. 

"It was a 'Drunken Potion'! And you call yourself a Potions Master? Geesh..." Shaylee shook her head teasingly while Severus chided himself. He should have known that! But his sense had been a little clouded... 

Shaylee didn't mention the object that her cousins had handed her, and Snape didn't bring it up. 

Shaylee looked at her watch. "Ooooooo!!! It's my turn to call the shots!" "Lovely..." Snape sighed and followed her as she walked over to the punch bowl. 

As she reached the table, she turned to make sure that Fred and George weren't watching, then she tapped it with her wand abruptly. The punch rippled for a moment, then stilled. 

"You actually took the potion out?" Severus asked her incredulously as she walked briskly off. "You didn't add anything else, did you?" 

Shaylee turned back and glared at him. "Don't make me change my mind, and _don't _give me ideas!!" 

Severus stood still for a moment as Shaylee walked on, looking slightly disappointed in herself. He laughed as he caught up with her. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Ginny stole a glance at Harry as he joked with Ron. There was a smile spread across his face, and she quickly looked away as he looked towards her. 

"Hey, I think my date's getting bored. We'll be right back. Come on, Gin," Harry said, waiting for her to stand up. 

She did so, grinning to herself and remembering last year when he totally ignored his date. He could have gotten manners since then, or maybe... 

"So, Ginny, are you having fun? Hopefully hanging around with everyone else isn't too boring... I know it's getting pretty repetitive for me..." He grinned at her and she blushed and mumbled, "No, i t's fine." 

They were just reaching the refreshments when realization came on Harry's face. "We haven't danced yet, have we?" Ginny shook her head. "Well, then, let's do that now, shall we?" 

Ginny let herself be led out on the dance floor, but blushed and almost pulled away when she heard the familiar 'la, la la la-duh's that were playing. 

"I'm just warning you, I'm not very good at this..." Harry admitted. "I'm not either," Ginny blushed. 

**_I'm tugging at my hair_**   
**_I'm pulling at my clothes_**   
**_I'm trying to keep my cool_**   
**_I know it shows_**

Ginny's face turned red and she looked to her side, not wanting to make eye contact with Harry. 

**_I'm staring at my feet_**   
**_My cheeks are turning red_**   
**_I'm searching for the words inside my head_**   
**_I'm feeling nervous_**   
**_Trying to be so perfect_**   
**_'Cuz I know you're worth it...you're worth it...yeah_**

'Ohmigod....... How did I get stuck dancing with him in this song...?' Ginny's face was turning redder and redder the more lyrics played. 

**_If I could say what I want to say_**   
**_I'd say I want to blow you... away_**   
**_Be with you every night_**   
**_Am I squeezing you too tight?_**   
**_If I could say what I want to say_**   
**_I want to see you down on one knee..._**   
**_Marry me today!_**   
**_Guess I'm wishing my life away..._**   
**_With these things I'll never say_**

Harry looked at Ginny and wondered why exactly she was looking the other way so stubbornly. 

**_It don't do me any good_**   
**_It's just a waste of time_**

"Ginny?" he asked and she turned her face towards him. He saw that her face was bright red, even more so than it usually got. 

**_What use is it to you, what's on my mind?_**   
**_If it ain't comin' out_**   
**_We're not goin' anywhere_**   
**_So why can't I just tell you that I care?_**

That's when it dawned on him what was making her so embarrassed. He grinned as he realized that it was the song that was making her not want to look at him. 

**_I'm feeling nervous_**   
**_Trying to be so perfect_**   
**_'Cuz I know you're worth it...you're worth it...yeah_**

Harry scooted closer to her, and she blushed and looked over his shoulder at the wall. 

**_If I could say what I want to say_**   
**_I'd say I want to blow you... away_**   
**_Be with you every night_**   
**_Am I squeezing you too tight?_**

Ginny stepped back slightly at this line, but Harry maneuvered his eyes, so that she was looking straight at him. "No, you aren't, actually." She couldn't turn any redder, but she stepped closer again. 

**_If I could say what I want to see_**   
**_I want to see you go down on one knee_**   
**_Marry me today!_**

Ginny's face, which had been getting slightly less red, immediately shot back up to fire hydrant red and she looked away. 

**_Guess I'm wishing my life away..._**   
**_With these things I'll never say_**

"Gin, what's wrong?" 

**_What's wrong, with my tongue_**   
**_These words keep slippin' away..._**   
**_I stutter...I stumble_**   
**_Like I've got nothin' to sa-ay..._**

"Nothing!" Ginny squeaked. 

**_I'm feelin' nervous_**   
**_Tryin' to be so perfect_**   
**_'Cuz I know you're worth it...you're worth it...yeah_**

Harry grinned down at her knowingly. "Hypocrite," he muttered playfully. 

**_la la la la la la la la la..._**   
**_La la la la la la la la la..._**

Ginny looked up at him nervously, and her face dove down to stark white. 

**_Guess I'm wishing my life away_**   
**_With these things I'll never say_**

"What do you mean by that?" 

**_If I could say what I want to say_**   
**_I'd say I want to blow you... away_**   
**_Be with you every night_**   
**_Am I squeezing you too tight?_**

Harry looked at her skeptically, then said, "You know, I thought Gryffindors were chosen for bravery..." Ginny looked at him accusatorily. 

**_If I could say what I want to see_**   
**_I want to see you go down on one knee_**   
**_Marry me today_**   
**_Guess I'm wishing my life away_**

"OK, Mr. Smarty-pants, I don't think I need to say anything, really, as you seem to have figured it all out." For once, her face wasn't red at all, and she glared at him challengingly. 

**_With these things I'll never say_**

Harry grinned. "I've been waiting for you to say that for a while..." 

**_With these things I'll never say_**

Shock registered in Ginny's face as her mouth dropped open and Harry gave her a polite kiss on the forehead. "Considering how your whole family is watching us right now, that'll have to do for now..." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco leaned against the wall. "It's almost midnight, Hermione," he reminded her. 

"Should we start heading out, then?" 

"Yeah." Draco took her hand. "Let's go," he said, leading her towards the doors. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

"It's almost midnight!" Shaylee was growing more and more hyper by the minute. "And why exactly are you so happy about this?" Snape asked, though he didn't think it'd do much good, as he had been asking her this question every time she's said that for the past half hour, and it hadn't gotten him anywhere yet. 

Shaylee had evidently grown tired of making him guess so she turned around and said as if it were the most obvious thing on Earth. 

"Uh? Chaos? Pain? Laughing at other people's petty fights? Any of those ring a bell?" 

"Chaos and pain, yes. But I rarely laugh at other people's petty fights..." 

"Oh, don't worry, Sevvy!! You will laugh, oh yes... You will most definitely laugh!" 

"Should I be worried?" 

"Why do you ask?" Shaylee asked, though she was a little preoccupied with something happening by the door. 

Severus only had time to say, "Because I am," before Shaylee was off in a flash towards whatever was happening at the door.   


Shaylee stepped in front of the door just as Draco and Hermione reached it. 

"Change of plan there, kiddies?" 

"Um.... No?" Draco answered doubtfully, still surprised on her sudden appearance. 

Shaylee sighed. "OK, guys, I know who you are..." 

Both of their heads snapped up to look at her, and she sighed again. "I was the one who got you two together in the first place! Helloooo?!" 

Hermione looked confused, but comprehension was dawning on Draco's face. "That was _you_?" He looked... _slightly_ angry. 

"Um.... How about we talk about this over here..." Shaylee said, aware that they were drawing some curious glances. 

She waved Severus over to where they were going. However, Draco was so eager to possibly curse his DADA teacher, that he didn't even notice that they were on the other side of the table where Hermione's friends were. 

"Well, you see, I had noticed that--" 

Shaylee was cut off by Lee Jordan's voice. "OK, everyone, it's almost midnight and time for the unmasking." 

Hermione's and Draco's hands found each other and Shaylee looked slightly guilty. 

"If you will all pay attention to the clock, we'll have a countdown from ten." 

There were a few people murmering, "What clock?" 

Lee paused, then said, "Er, that big clock that Dumbledore just put behind me.... Thanks sir..." There were some laughs, then motion stilled as they waited for the second hand to reach the 10. 

When it did, it seemed like everyone but Hermione, Draco, Severus and Shaylee were counting back. Instead, their group was all looking at each other nervously. 

"4" 

"3" 

Most of the people had a hold of their masks to take them off then. Ron was jokingly taking his on and off quickly, while the people surrounding him laughed. 

"2" 

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand comfortingly while they got ready to take their masks off. 

"1" 

There was silence. Then complete and total hell broke out. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Good ending spot, huh? ::cackles evilly:: Hey, in actual books, chapters end in cliffies!!! ^_^ Well, I have more standardized tests tomorrow, and I will write then. Remember, I'll respond to all Masquerade reviews AFTER the masquerade. 


	30. Jealousy

Disclaimer: Lemme start by telling you that the school corp. that I'm going to is going down the drain. There are tons of budget cuts, and a lot of the good teachers are quitting, or they got cut. This includes the one who directs the plays (yes, the evil Grease director that I used to talk about), and the coolest band teacher one Earth, the one who taught me how to play the flute, who has been there for 19 years. She just told us the other day, and the whole Sr. High Band was crying (and I don't cry!!!!). See, JK Rowling doesn't go to school in "Hicksville", Indiana, and if she did, she'd have enough money to bribe Ms. R to stay.... ^_^ 

AN: Ah... Standardized tests are evil, but at least I get lotsa time to write.... 

AN2: OK, something I just realized is that the review alerts don't always work, and that there have been a few reviews that I did not respond to, because I didn't receive them in my inbox. So, if you ever reviewed and didn't get a response, I'm terribly sorry, and I thank you for reviewing. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Ron got to Draco before anyone else, and sent him staggering back several feet. 

"You jackass! What the hell do you think you're doing here with her?" 

He was advancing on Draco again, and Harry wasn't stopping him. 

Hermione grabbed her wand and stood in front of Draco. 

Ron blinked. 

"Hermione?" 

"Don't you _DARE_ hurt him in any way, shape, or form." 

The silence crept over the Great Hall again as everyone stared at her. Draco stood up. "It's OK, Hermione," he said, laying his hand on her shoulder. 

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" 

Ron made to punch Draco again, but was stopped as a huge force hitting his cheek moved him sharply to the side. It took a few moments for him to realize that Hermione had slapped him. 

It wasn't only Draco's mouth that was hanging open, but he was feeling a special surge of pride as Hermione stepped back beside him with her cheeks red with anger. 

Ron was holding his hand to his cheek and joined everyone in staring at her. 

Finally, Professor Weasley (who was, after all, in charge), thought fit to intervene. 

"Ronald Weasley! Step back!" 

He glared at her and she continued. "If you have a problem, you can sort it out afterwards. WITHOUT--" she added as she noticed her cousin and Draco glaring at each other. "--any violence." 

Ron tried to say something, but Shaylee held up her hand and said firmly, "Wait. No buts. And if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." 

Ron glared at her for a second, then spun around and walked away angrily. With one betrayed look at Hermione, Harry followed. 

At this, conversation slowly started up again. and Lee put on a song. 

Severus and Shaylee exchanged a glance. "Are you sure you aren't the one who'd make a good mommy?" Shaylee did a double take. "Did you just say 'mommy'????" When he nodded, Shaylee asked him in the same tone he had used, "Are you sure you aren't the one who's drunk?" 

Severus glared at her and she turned to Draco and Hermione, who were still standing there, not knowing what exactly they should do. 

"You may leave now, if you wish, but for your purposes, I'd recommend you stay, if you want people to actually believe that you are a couple... Just ignore everyone else and have fun." 

They didn't have to do this, because Scott and Kerry were walking towards them that moment. 

"They didn't exactly like what we did, so they sent us over here... Something about a traitor was mentioned... Not sure!" Scott still seemed perky, though Hermione thought something was there that hadn't been there before. Was that sadness... or triumph in his eyes? 

Shaylee looked angry at these words. "I'll talk to the twins. Don't worry, Scott." She tugged on Severus and they headed over to where a group of Gryffindors was gathered, whispering. Scott just shrugged as if he didn't care. 

"So, guys," he began, cheerfully. "What should we do, now? We've wreaked havoc, and broadcasted a forbidden relationship... Hmmm.... They've already spiked the punch... There's nothing else to do!!" he chided, hoping that Hermione would come out of her trance and tell him off. 

Hermione opened her mouth and said with a hoarse voice, "Well, it's a dance... How about we dance?" 

Scott was disappointed in her lack of a response, but he had no problem with dancing. "OK! Practical answer! Let's!!" 

When they got out onto the dancefloor, a Weird Sisters hit was playing. The dance floor was full, but as they entered, people tended to scoot away from them, or just leave the dance floor altogether. 

Draco sighed. "Screw this. Guys, why don't we just stand around an--" "Make faces at people? I couldn't say it better myself!" Scott interrupted, and caused Hermione to laugh softly. 

"You know, that's not a half bad idea, Scott." 

Hermione took Draco's hand and they walked through the path being created for them by the crowd. She noticed the disdainful looks that were being sent, and she moved closer to Draco, because some of the faces looked pretty violent. This, however, just made it worse, and the faces grew angrier. 

Finally, they reached an empty slab of wall (which had probably been cleared out when everyone saw that they were coming that way) and they leaned against it, surveying the rest of the Hall, and looking for people to make faces at. 

"I'm not doing it..." Draco protested. "Oh, why not?" Hermione chided as Scott stuck his tongue out and made noises at a passerby. 

"Because he looks like an idiot!" he said, looking pointedly at Scott as he stretched out his eyelids and made his cheeks poofy. 

"Yes, I'll agree to that," Hermione admitted. "But, still... He's stopping people from looking, and it's funny." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't see you doing it." "Well, I have a reputation to uphold!" "And I don't?" 

"Neither of you have a reputation to uphold anymore," Kerry pointed out. Draco and Hermione looked at each other and shrugged. 

"Why aren't you doing it, then?" Hermione asked. 

"Well, I don't know any of these people. It wouldn't exactly be polite..." Kerry shrugged innocently. 

At their blank stares Kerry sighed. "OK, OK... Lame excuse... I know..." And with that, she rolled her eyes around crazily and made a pig nose at the next passing person that was looking at them nastily. 

After their expression changed to something like a mixture of surprise and fright and they hurried off, Kerry collapsed into a fit of the giggles. 

Scott grinned at her. "Now _that's _something you don't see every day..." 

She sobered up immediately and shrugged. 

"Hey, I'm going to go ask Shaylee if she'll come over here. You don't mind, do you, Kerry?" 

"No. Do as you wish," she said absentmindedly. 

Scott grinned as he caught sight of Shaylee plopping down on her chair at the High Table, exhausted, followed by Severus sitting down elegantly, and engaging her in conversation. "I'll be right back, guys." He waved and winked at them as he made his way towards the High Table. 

~*~   
Over on the other side of the Hall, the group that had been so lively before the unmasking, was sitting and glaring at the group who was having tremendous amounts of fun making faces at people. Certain words that really should not be said when at a teacher surrounded function, were coming out of Ron's mouth, and Harry was just sitting, a look of utter confusion, hurt, and hatred on his face. 

~*~   
From the High Table, Shaylee glared menacingly at her cousins. "Stupid... Take loyalty much too far... Don't know what real love is..." she was muttering under her breath. 

She stopped as she noticed Severus looking at her strangely. "Oh, shut up." 

"I didn't say anything." 

"But your eyes did." She glared at him and started muttering again. "Stupid eyes... Need gouged out..." That's when Severus held her hand steady, which had been previously slapping the table unmercifully. 

She glared at him again, but she didn't have time to say anything, because at that moment, Scott came up to her and beamed. "Hey, Shaylee!!" 

She grinned beside herself. "Hey Scott." 

"Hey, Professor Snape, is it OK if I borrow this beautiful lady for a moment?" 

"I wouldn't know, seeing as she's not mine to loan," Snape retorted scathingly. 

Shaylee patted him reassuringly on the shoulder as she stood up and followed Scott. "I'll be right back, Sevvy." 

~*~   
Ron scowled as he saw Hermione laugh and give Draco a kiss on the cheek. "What the hell did he do to her to make her do this?" "I don't know..." Harry looked miserable. "But he had to have done something. She hates him." "Or so you think. You haven't really been around her that often lately," Ginny reminded them sullenly. 

Ron glared at her and said something that wasn't exactly too nice, but Harry froze as he realized that what she said was true. They hadn't been spending much time around her lately. She was always sneaking off to go to the pool. _Every single day._ It had crossed his mind a few times as being a little odd, but he hadn't thought much of it. Now, however, he saw what was happening, and he realized he needed to talk to Hermione. 

**_I'm gonna see you_**   
**_I'll break through to you some way_**   
**_You'll be my alarm clock_**   
**_To wake me from this endless day_**

Ron was angry. Extremely, pissed sort of angry. The type of angry that happens when you're already mad, and then your best friends don't agree when you say that your other best friend isn't smooching your worst enemy by her free will. _He_ was sure that it wasn't actually happening. They'd find out what Draco was doing to Hermione, they'd beat his ass, and they'd be perfectly happy again. 

**_And when it's all over_**   
**_Well you'll be calling out for me_**   
**_Finish what you started_**   
**_And do it all over_**   
**_And do it all over again_**

Severus sat at the High Table alone, watching as Shaylee laughed as she saw what Kerry, Draco, and Hermione were doing. She put her hand on Scott's shoulder and grinned her special lopsided grin. That was an action that was usually reserved for Severus. 

**_What am I supposed to do about it_**   
**_I sit around and wait for you_**   
**_What am I supposed to say to you_**   
**_You already know I'm in love with you_**   
**_(And I hope that you love me too)_**

Ron was glaring at anyone who came near him, including his family members. Especially Fred and George, who had had the gall to actually associate with their cousin, who was now joking with the low piece of not-so-human flesh. 

**_You broke me down without saying a thing_**   
**_All it took was for me to see you with him_**

Severus was sure he looked a little pathetic here, sitting all alone. But, then again he couldn't go anywhere right now. not when she was with _him._ The person who reminded him so much of his past. 

**_I'll pack my bags and move to Alaska_**   
**_Where it's as cold as you_**

Thinking of this, Severus grew slightly angry. She was doing just what Lily had done. She was making him go through this torture _again._ For the second time in his life, he had to go through this utter torture of knowing that he wasn't good enough. His personality wasn't playful enough. Well, life isn't all fun and games. But he wasn't sure that Shaylee knew this. 

**_What am I supposed to do about it_**   
**_I sit around and wait for you_**   
**_What am I supposed to say to you_**

While Harry was sitting, wondering what in the world he was going to say to Hermione when he talked to her, Ron was pacing back and forth. 

**_You already know I'm in love with you_**   
**_(and I hope that you love me too)_**

Ron finally plopped down beside Harry and said weakly, "Why did she do this to us? What brought her to _this_? Surely we aren't _that_ bad of friends, are we?" Harry shrugged and said, "I'm going to go talk to her..." Ron's head snapped up. "I'm going with you." "No you aren't," Ginny interrupted them swiftly. 

**_What am I supposed to do about it_**   
**_I sit around and wait for you_**   
**_What am I supposed to say to you_**

"And why not?" Ron demanded. "You'll make a fool of yourself, and kill someone," was Ginny's simple answer. 

**_You already know I'm in love with you_**   
**_(and I hope that you love me too)_**

Ron sighed. For their friendship's sake... "OK, go, Harry." 

**_And as I let this note ring out_**   
**_The only thing I think about_**   
**_Is how I never took a chance on you_**

Harry made his way towards the section of wall that the laughing group was standing by. He noticed that they were the exact opposite of the rest of the people in the Hall, who were being sullen and weren't having much fun. 

**_The way you used to look at me_**

Hermione seemed to have sensed that he was coming. She looked up straight into his eyes, and the look wasn't a pleasant one. It was a mixture of relief that it was _him_ coming to talk to her, worry that he would start acting like Ron, and anger because he wouldn't accept her. 

**_Has changed so clearly I can see_**   
**_Things will always be so awkward between you and me._**

He reached them and smiled softly at Hermione before looking at Draco indifferently. "Mal-..." He decided against using his surname, and just said, "I hope you don't mind if I talk to Hermione." 

Draco looked back at him just as indifferently. "As long as nothing harmful is said." He said it with a slightly hostile voice, though he too resolved to not use Harry's last name. 

Hermione calmly followed him until they were outside and out of anyone's hearing range. "I was aware that we were to wait to speak until afterwards, or did you not hear Professor Weasley?" 

Harry tried to remain calm, but couldn't help but retort, "As she was standing right there as we left to speak, I doubt she has any complaints of me talking to you." 

Hermione shrugged. She didn't volunteer any information, but just stood there, waiting for Harry to ask her something. 

"Well?" she prompted. Harry sighed. It seemed that he had something to ask her, but didn't want to know the answer. 

"Are you with him of your free will is what I should ask first, I suppose..." 

Hermione looked at him coldly and answered, "Yes," shortly. 

Harry sighed. "It was all that time at the pool, wasn't it?" 

Hermione froze, and Harry looked the other way. "I thought something had changed after you started going there. You were being so secretive. You even stopped complaining about being paired up with... _him._" He shook his head and looked at her softly. 

"You know, Hermione, physical attraction isn't love. You're too good for him..." He looked away again, and Hermione felt pity for her best friend. 

"Harry, I know what you think. But that isn't why I like him so much." 

Harry turned back at her and looked incredulously at her. "You mean you like him because he's an egotistical asshole who calls you dirty names every time he sees you?" 

Hermione looked exasperated. "If you care to notice, that has cut back a little. It was basically just a show so that you wouldn't know what was happening." 

Harry looked uncomfortable as he realized that what she said was true. 

He tried to think of something to say, as Hermione looked at him softly, realizing how good of a friend he was being, trying to protect her from any possible evil. 

"But, what if he's using you?" He was clutching at straws now, and he knew that she knew it. 

She smiled triumphantly. "I was worried about that myself. Until I found out it was true." 

Harry's mouth fell open, and anger was flaring in his eyes. She quickly added, before he went inside to beat the shit out of Draco, "But, he was the one who told me that he had been using me at the beginning. He told me that he had fallen in love with me. And he no longer wished to do any harm to me." 

Harry looked at her skeptically. "Hermione, that's the most cliche line ever created!" 

Hermione looked at him fiercely, her gaze set in stone. "I know that. But, it was in his eyes. And you can't argue with eyes, Harry." 

Harry looked as if he were fighting an inner battle, but then he smiled weakly. "I can't promise you anything. And I can say that I'll probably never like Malfoy. But, you are still one of my best friends, and I'm not going to lose that friendship because you are dating my worst enemy." 

Hermione grinned and gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much Harry!" 

Harry frowned. "And, you do realize that I'm not going to be able to sort Ron out. That will be your problem..." 

Hermione sighed, but she understood. "That's OK. I'm not looking forward to it, but at least you understand! Thank you _so_ much Harry! you won't believe how much it means for it to be accepted by someone!" 

Harry patted her back awkwardly. "Well, how about we go back inside, so that I can get pegged with questions that I can't answer..." Hermione grinned and they walked back inside. 

Before heading over to the table, Harry led Hermione back to where she had been before. 

Draco looked suspiciously at both of their smiling faces, until Hermione slid her arm happily through Draco's and Harry still looked contented. That is, until he saw him. He stepped forward and said seriously. "I understand. But, if you hurt her in any way, you will have me, and the rest of her friends to answer to." Draco nodded, because he understood the whole "protective friend thing", and didn't want to mess with an angry Gryffindor, which just showed how much he had changed. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee returned to the High Table, where Severus greeted her with a sarcastic, "Welcome back, Weasley." 

She grinned, looked across the crowd, and called, "You owe me a Galleon, Ellis!!" 

Severus looked confused and slightly P.O'd, so she explained. "I made a bet with Scott that you'd call me Weasley when I got back to the table." 

He looked miffed, and from then on out, he called her Shaylee. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

The evening was about to come to a close, and Shaylee hadn't pulled a prank yet. This was why Severus was slightly worried when she said she had to use the loo with an evil grin on her face. It just wasn't a good combination. And, as it turned out, he had the right to be worried. 

Everything was going on as usual, until people started noticing a glittery substance in the air. 

Naturally, when something was strange at Hogwarts, the first person to look at was Albus Dumbledore, who happened to be looking at the second place to look; the Weasley twins. Naturally, when everyone saw that the twins were looking up, so did they. 

And, that's when they saw Shaylee, flying through the rafters and sprinkling the glitter from the bag that Severus recognized as the one that her cousins had given her. 

"Oh... For Merlin's Sake..." Severus muttered. 

"Just trying to make a more memorable night, everybody!" Shaylee said while laughing gleefully. 

Severus recognized the glitter for what it was immediately, and cast an invisible shield around himself, for he did not want to be a giggling fool for the rest of the night. 

However, that's what the rest of the Hall turned into as Shaylee settled down in her seat. She grinned at Severus, who glared at her accusatoringly. Her face turned into a pout. "Cheater! You weren't supposed to use a shield!!" 

His response was stopped as a chuckling (for the headmaster did not giggle) Dumbledore stood up and informed the students that it was past time for them to retire, for he knew that most of them had weekend homework to finish that night. 

And, so the night, but not their problems, came to an end. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

OK, the review responses (as promised, of course!) will be at the end of the next chapter. Thank you to everyone! And I hope no one harbored any harmful thoughts about me over that last cliffy.... Hehe... Some of those reviews were darn scary.... ^_^ 

Oh, and just for the record, I had never heard that song in my life... And I didn't have time to download it. So, I dunno what it sounds like.... But, I liked the lyrics that I found, so yeah.... 


	31. Flannel?

Disclaimer: I went to the Nurse's Office today... You know what I did.... (God bless my acting ability-- tho I was kinda tired, and I'm sorry, I DID take a half hour nap) Yep, I wrote... So, oops... Do you really think JK Rowling would do that? I mean, sure, she obviously likes writing as much as we do, but do you think she's dishonest enough to pretend to be sick so that she could write in the Nurse's Office? Dunno... But, I did, so I must not be her! 

AN: (That's the reason that it is short, but up quickly) (Well, not very quickly... The review responses took longer than I thought they would.....) 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco smiled at Hermione as she disappeared behind the Gryffindor Portrait. 

He turned and left as soon as he made sure she was in the Common Room safely, because he seemed to be attracting a lot of glares from Gryffindors entering the room. 

Making his way down the stairs, he saw Scott and Kerry conversing quietly in front of the door leading outside. 

"Are you leaving, then, Kerry?" he asked, coming up behind them. 

Scott jumped, startled, but Kerry turned around smoothly. "Oh yes. I must get back to the inn so that I can return home in the morning. It was very nice meeting you, and a pleasure working with you, if you could call it that." She was smiling, though Draco could tell that she was just being polite, and that she had something private to tell Scott. 

"Well, I'll leave you two, then. Goodbye, and it was nice meeting you, Kerry." 

He noticed that Kerry waited until he was clearly out of hearing range to start talking again. 

That's when he realized that the face and the look that had been on it seemed slightly familiar. But, then again, Kerry was supposedly Scott's neighbor. Where would he have ever seen her? 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee was stretched out on her office floor in her green flannel pajamas, reading her book. Her head was towards the fireplace, and her toes were playing in the long carpet which was situated a safe distance from the fireplace. 

She jumped as the fire in the fireplace turned green and Severus' head poked out. "Holy shit, Sevvy! Scare me to death!" 

"That's what I was trying to do..." Severus replied sarcastically. "Well, that's not very nice," Shaylee returned just as sarcastically. 

"So, Fairy Princess, may I come in?" 

Shaylee rolled over so that she was on her back and out of his way. 

"Sure. Knock yourself out." 

Severus stepped throught he fireplace and Shaylee's mouth dropped open as she saw him. 

"What?" 

"Uh.... You... Oh. My. God. What are you wearing?" 

"These are what I regularly call pajamas," Snape said as if he were talking to someone who didn't speak english. 

"I know that..." Shaylee sat up and kept looking at him. "You just don't seem like the flannel PJs type..." She paused. "You don't even seem like a person who would wear pajamas!" 

Severus looked down at himself, where he was, in fact wearing black flannel PJs, then looked at Shaylee strangely. "Are you saying you thought I slept in the nude?" 

Shaylee made a face, then started hitting herself over the head with her book while muttering, "Mental! Image! Get! OUT!" When she was done with this rampage, she glared at him and said, "No. It's just you seem more like the satin pajamas type... Or the type who just fall asleep in what they wore that day..." 

Severus shook his head at her, then sat down, but not before he noticed something new to the room. 

"Was that there a few hours ago?" he said, looking at a bean bag sitting in the corner, which was, like the rest of the decor in her room, green. 

Shaylee grinned. "Nope. It got delivered right after I got back. I ordered it from a Kid's Store back home. The owner and I are friends, so she gave me a discount!" With that, she stood up, then plopped right bakc down on the bean bag. 

"And why exactly is it in your office?" Severus asked, watching her wiggle around in the bean bag, trying to establish her spot. 

Shaylee glared at him. "Well, 'Mr. I've-Wanted-The-Defense-Position-for-so-Long-That-I-Didn't-Realize-That-They-Are-The-Smallest-Professor-Quarters-In-The-School', there isn't exactly enough room for it in my tiny little living space." 

"It can't be _that _small!" 

"Well, as I'm well aware, the Potions Quarters consist of a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, all attached to your office, is this not correct?" 

Snape nodded. "That's right." 

"Well, if you go through that door right there," she nodded towards the door behind her desk. "--there is a small little foyer that can't really be called a hallway, with two doors. One leads to my bedroom, and the other leads to the bathroom. That's it. That is all the space I get. That's why I'm always in my office. Because it **isn't** my office! I consider it my living space!" 

"Even teachers aren't supposed to be in each other's living space between 1-5:30 AM," Severus reminded her. 

Shaylee looked at him, looking a fake sort of innocently puzzled. "But, this isn't my living space. It's my office. What on earth are you talking about?" 

Severus rolled his eyes. He noticed that she was still wiggling around on her bean bag, and he commented sarcastically, "Are you having some problems?" 

"Yes, actually! I am!" Shaylee said, getting angry at the bean bag. 

She stood up. "Here! You are a guy! You're supposed to be big and strong! You try!" 

Severus looked at her blankly. "You want me to make an indent in your bean bag?" 

"Yes," Shaylee exclaimed shortly as she jumped up from the bean bag. 

Sighing, Severus threw himself onto the bean bag as if he didn't want to stand up. 

Shaylee grinned down at him as she snatched her book from where she had set it down on the floor. "Wow. Are you always like this when you're tired?" 

At the word tired, Severus yawned and shrugged. "I only tend to have strange conversations about pajamas and jump on bean bags when I'm around hyper red-heads and it's 2:30 AM..." 

At this, Shaylee looked at her watch. "Holy shit! It's 2:30!" She yawned also. "Oh well, there aren't classes tomorrow anyway..." she resolved, shrugging. 

Then, without any warning, Shaylee jumped onto his lap, shifting the bean bag a little more. 

"See? I told you that you could make it work!" 

Severus stared at her blankly. "You don't make bean bags work... They're just... there." 

Shaylee giggled as she turned her head around to stick her tongue out. "Whatever, genius..." 

"I suppose I'm stuck here..." Severus tried to sound annoyed, though he didn't really mind. He wrapped his arms around her middle, and leaned over her shoulder to see the book she was holding. 

"Mmmhmm," Shaylee answered absentmindedly as she opened the book to her bookmark. 

"What are you reading?" he inquired, trying to make out the words in the book. 

"Phantom of the Opera," Shaylee said, and when she noticed that he was trying to see, she moved the book closer to him, in the process leaning back so that she was closer than before. His hands instinctively went tighter around her waist as he said, "Muggle literature again, isn't it?" 

"Yes. But it's fabulous. I've already read it four times, and I still notice things. Here; I can start at the beginning again, and we can both read it." 

Severus didn't protest as she set her bookmark aside and opened to the first page. Perhaps a little Muggle literature would do him some good. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

A man sat alone in his poorly lit sitting room. He had made sure that he was not to be bothered by anyone until his messenger came. And his messenger was late. 

He tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk. 

The door to his office opened quickly, but without any noise. 

"You are late," he stated plainly. 

"I know." The voice sounded sarcastic, and he was sure that the messenger thought that he wasn't worth pleasantries. 

"Well, sit down and tell me. I've been waiting for over an hour." 

The messenger hissed something under their breath that sounded like, "It's not my fault," but the shadow sat down on the chair across from the desk. 

"He's pretty sure that it's real." 

"_Pretty sure_?" 

"Well, _he's_ pretty sure. I'm definitely sure." 

"What makes you say this?" 

"I have mind-reading abilities he has not." 

"True..." The man behind the desk pondered this for a moment. 

"And you followed them through the night?" 

"Yes, sir. They were outside for a moment. Not a good sign, I'm sure..." 

The man made a low growling noise in the back of his throat. "Tell him that I will take care of any punishment needed. That will be all. You may leave." 

The messenger did not need to be told again. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

And in comes the mystery... Yay, now that the relationship is out, I can get to the whole deep plot that I've been cooking up. Yay!!! ^_^ Oh, and thank you to all reviewers! Oh, this is a little ahead of time, but the 500th reviewer gets invited to a little "Internet Party" at the end of a chapter. Anywho, thanks reviewers! I love you guys!! 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

BellethePhilosopher'sCookie: (ch. 30) Oh yeah. It is in _very_ different ways... ^_~ 

darkmarkgrl: (Ch. 30) Hehe... I was kinda wondering where you went... The song is called "Cold As You" by Punchline. I've never heard it either... I just found the lyrics interesting... ^_^ Well, here's the update. Thanks! 

Jenna-chan: (Ch. 30) LOL. I was thinking about letting him get some of the fairy dust, but, then I thought about how mad he'd be at her if he did... Hehe... Didn't want Sevvy mad... ^_^ 

DyingAngel1: (Ch. 30) Thank yooooou!!! 

Sly4: (Ch. 30) Heehee. Thanks a lot!! ^_~ 

Squish: (Ch. 30) Yeah. I'm in too much of a hurry to type your name... ^_^ Anywho, I told you! And I'm never letting you on the computer when you're claiming to do your homework ever again! 

dracosgurl_chrissy: (ch. 30) LOL... Yes, school is evil, but it's getting slightly better... Kinda... ^_^ Thanks! I'm trying to hurry with the updates! I can do that now that I'm over the constricting part that I actually had to think about. ^_^ Now, I know almost exactly what I'm doing. Well, thanks! 

Meg: (ch. 30) Yeah, it's "Cold As You" by Punchline. I've never heard them, so that's why I didn't make them dance to it. I didn't know if it was slow or fast... ^_^ Hehe... 

Lady Coia: (ch. 30) LOL! Thanks! And, yep, poor little Sevvy was jealous. I do believe he got over it as soon as Shaylee told him about the bet, tho... (Wow, I'm the writer... And I sound like I'm discussing someone else's fic.... ^_^) 

Athene Saile: (ch. 30) Heehee! Thanks! 

Metallicafangirl: (Ch. 30) Haha! LOL... Well, I guess I'll take that as a compliment, then!! 

chelsea: (Ch. 30) Don't worry! I will! ^_^ Thanks!! 

Kat Davi: (ch. 30) hehe! There's a tad bit of fluffiness in this one... Only a tad tho... ^_^ 

Draco-Malfoy-Severus-luva: (ch. 30) Oooo, lucky one! Well, school starts early for me, but I also get out early, sooooooo... And, yeah, I think that Lily/Sev pairings are interesting, tho I never write about them, cuz it changes the whole story line. So, this is how I put both in one fic. 

Squish: (ch. 29) LOL. You weren't gonna read it for a while anyway. 

Whoosh: (ch. 1) Heehee. Thanks! 

ShadowRogue: (ch. 29) lol. ^_^ Thanks bunches! I wanted to have a drunken Shaylee, but I didn't want to ruin her, "I never get drunk" speeches, so yeah.... ^_~ 

pkchihuahuas: (ch. 29) Heehee! I'm sorry! I jsut really thougth that was a good place to end it.... Sorry about that! 

Pyrefly: (ch. 29) Heehee. Did you figure it out? Heehee! 

gamegirl3: (ch. 2) lol. Thanks! 

Draconisgirl: (ch. 29) LOL.... Getting a little demanding there aren't we? ^_~ Well, anywho, enjoy. I know it's short. But, that's what happens when you write in the nurse's office... ^_^ 

islandgirl4: (ch. 29) ^_^ Hope you like! 

Carole Flory: (ch. 29) I will! 

KEL-71E: (ch. 29) LOL. thanks! 

DyingAngel1: (ch. 29) LOL... Hope I didn't kill you with that cliffy there.... ^_^ 

IceLily2: (ch. 29) Heehee. Well, hope you like! 

Sparkle Eyed Dreamer: (ch. 29) LOL. Sorry! Well, I'm writing as fast as possible. 

Fantasy Is my Life 1: (ch. 29) LOL. Yeah, I would be taking Geometry right now, if it weren't for my evil 7th grade math teacher who decided not to let me take Algebra in 8th grade... Grrr! Heehee, anywho... Thanks. 

girldevil: (ch. 29) heehee. ok!!! 

BelleThePhilosopher'sCookie: (ch. 29)Agreed! ^_^ 

Cute-Kitty: (ch. 29) Lol... ::sweatdrops:: Are you ok?... ^_^ Anywho, that doesn't matter. Even insane people can read it! (of course, it has an insane writer.... ^_^) 

dracosgurl_chrissy: (ch. 29) LOL. Ah. All hell breaking loose... Don't you love that sound? ^_^ 

sakura langert: (ch. 29) Oh... Hehe, Oops! Sorry bout that! ^_^ I hope you didn't hurt anyone's ears.... ^_^ 

Lady Coia: (ch. 29) LOL. Was the complete and total hell to your liking? ^_^ 

mira737: (ch. 29) Yay! Thank you very much for not being bitter! 

I give it all to Mr. Black: (ch. 29) I love your name!! I was thinking of changing mine to IWillMournHisDeathForever, but I still haven't decided yet... Anywho, thanks a lot! I'm trying to get as much done as fast as I can! 

Kat Davi: (ch. 29) Heehee, that's OK! My sister doesn't like her very much either, though I like some of her songs. I was just sitting there, thinking of a song to use for those two, and that song was on my playlist, and started playing, so that's how I chose that song! But, thanks a bunch for reading! 

Meg: (ch. 29) ::twiddles thumbs:: Hehe... it's not that bad really.... I mean, if I miss 3 assignments in a week, I have to stay after school in what they call a 'Study Table'. Basically, you just sit around and do homework. And if you don't have homework, you're either screwed, or you bring something with you to do (hehe, like a _fanfic_...) So, I don't really mind. I've never had one before, but there could always be a first time! 

Sapphire11: (ch. 29) Darn! You caught me!! Hehe, I was thinking that as I was typing it, and I was hoping no one would catch it... ^_^ But, oh well, and thanks! 

Draco-Malfoy-Severus-luva: (ch. 29) LOL! Well, hope it was anime-ish enough.... I hadn't really thought of using any anime sweatdrops or comical falls... But the mouths _do _fall open occasionally!! 

Metallicafangirl: (ch. 29): LOL. Hehe, thanks... Maybe. You never know. Maybe she was just looking for an insane person, and I was the first one she found.... ^_^ 

Silbara: (ch. 29) Heeehee! Thanks 

AcCiDeNt-PrOnE ElF GaL: (ch.2) LOL... Well, hope you enjoy the rest! 

Meg: (ch. 28) That's OK. She's back now, and even though she's at college, we talk almost every day. 

Cute-Kitty: (ch. 28) LOL. That's ok! Marshmallows are good!!! 

Pyrefly: (ch. 28) LOL. It's "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. I love that song! Um, I hope you were brought back to life properly.... ::sweatdrops:: 

rachel_14_lccm: (ch. 28) LOL. OK. Well, I'm trying! Believe me, the nurse will get very scary if I write when she thinks I'm sleeping.... 

Athene Saile: (ch. 28) Thanks! 

Athene Saile: (ch. 22) LOL. I love that song too! And it kinda fits her too, so yeah... 

girldevil: (ch. 28) Um! OK! Wow.... ::hides under table:: 

I give it all to Mr. Black: (ch. 28) Thank you sooo much! I love reviews like yours! 

axisangel: (ch. 28) O...K..... So, if you are drunk, how do you know you really like my story? ^_^ Just kidding! 

allee kat: (ch. 26) LOL. I agree. It was just getting really long. I love the song though. I was just running out of stuff for them to think about.... LOL 

Sparkle-eyed Dreamer: (ch 28) LOL! That's what I've been doing, with lunch and trips to the nurse combined.... ^_^ 

littlespeedy225: (ch. 28) OK! I am! 

Lady Coia: (ch. 28) LOL. Sorry. This one's short too, but that's because I knew it'd take so long for the review responses.... 

HGWhiteTigerDM: (ch 28) Thank you! 

dracosgurl_chrissy: (ch 28) LOL!! Thanks! And, I'm probably gonna wait till I'm done with this fic, to use Shaylee as a name. My sis just pointed out the logic of that to me last night... But, thanks! 

Dying Angel1: I did that! I liked it!! 

Kat Davi: (ch 28) Oh dear.... ^_^ LOL. Wow! 

Draco-Malfoy-Severus-Luva: (ch 28) Heeheehee! The song was "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Anywho, thanks for reviewing! 

Draco-Malfoy-Severus-Luva: (ch 27) LOL. Nah, they portray Snape as an old, icky looking man. I'm portraying him as 35... ^_^ Big difference... ^_^ 

ShadowRogue: (ch 28) Yay! I made someone cry! (LOL, is that good?) 

KEL-71E: (ch 28) Heeheee! Wow.... Thanks! 

darkmarkgrl: (ch 28) LOL, yep! Thanks! And, I know. It does that to me sometimes too.... ::frowns at computer:: 

darkmarkgrl: (ch 27) Hehe... I know, I hate it when people do that.... I swore I wouldn't be that insensitive to poor little Draccy.... 

islandgirl4: (ch 28) Heehee! Thanks a bunch!! 


	32. Maybe They're Both Psychic

Disclaimer: I am posting this on fanfiction.net! JK Rowling has probably heard of fanfiction.net, and, being curious, went to read what people are writing about her characters. I claim to be a fourteen year old nobody from Indiana. If she ever got a name on ff.net, she would not say who she was, and might claim she was a 14 year old nobody from Indiana! You can not see me over the internet, and you do not know who I am. You wouldn't be able to see JK Rowling over the internet if she had a name on ff.net, and you wouldn't know that it was her. Sooooo, theoretically, I _could _be JK Rowling. But, seriously, people, she has a good imagination, but I don't think she knows every detail of a hickish 14 year old girl's life.... I do, being one of those. So, while anyone on this site could _theoretically _be JK Rowling, I'm not! 

AN: I'm so sorry it took so long. I had a really hard week at school, and my Labor Day weekend was kind of busy. I'm REALLY sorry!! 

AN2: IT'S ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!! ::ahem:: Anywho.... ^_^ Yeah, the 10th of September is my B-day.... ^_^ 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

It was the morning after the Ball, and Hermione woke up to an empty dorm room. Panicking, she looked at her clock to see if she was running late. It was only 7:00, a little late by her standards, but extremely early by the rest of the girl's standards. She had a feeling that they were avoiding her. 

She quickly put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, as it was Sunday and she didn't need to wear her school robes. 

She was halfway down the stairs when she realized that she had not talked to Ron, or _anybody else_ yet. They were avoiding her because they didn't know what was going on. They were probably in the Common Room talking about it right now, actually. 

And, sure enough, when she went through the door to the Common Room, there was a huddle of sorts in front of the fireplace. 

"So, are we talking about anything I should know about?" Hermione said boldly. 

Their heads, which had been previously bent towards each other, whirled around at her voice. Colin Creevey stood up and hurried up the stairs to the boys dormitory with an urgent look upon his face that made him look as if he had forgotten something. 

Ron stood up from his seat on a foot-stool and walked over to Hermione in three long strides. 

"Are you OK?" He actually looked concerned. 

Harry was still seated on the couch, and he was looking up at her with an, "It's your turn," look. She got the feeling that he had been listening to questions ever since he had talked to her, and had been unable to answer any. 

Hermione took in a deep breath of air for support, then glared at Ron harshly. He stepped back slightly. "Hermione?" 

"So, what exactly makes you think that I didn't _want_ to go to the Masquerade with Draco, Ron?" 

There were intakes of breath from the people who were watching. A look of surprise came on his face and he said as if it were the most obvious thing on Earth, "Because you're _you_. And you hate Malfoy." 

"People change, Ron." Hermione said viciously. "Who are you to say that you know who I am, when you only talk to me when you need help with something? You don't know what I'm like anymore!" 

Ron was silent for a moment, then said, "I guess not. But I _do _know Malfoy. And I know that no matter how much you changed, you would _never_ like someone like him." 

There was silence in the Common Room, and Hermione spoke, her voice trembling with contained anger. "_People change,_" she said again. 

"But not that much. And not that quickly." 

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. If she didn't let out some of this steam, she'd explode. "**_Are you so closed-minded that you refuse to recognize when two people fall in love? Ever heard the saying, 'Opposites Attract'? Didn't your mother ever read you bedtime stories? IT HAPPENS!!"_**

Hermione was so wrapped up with her speech that she didn't even notice Colin edging up to her with his camera until she saw the flash. She sent a dirty look his way, sending him scurrying, then turned towards Ron again. 

"If you don't believe me, then just watch me in the next few days. You'll see how much he has changed!" 

And with that, Hermione spun on her heel and left the Gryffindor Common Room. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee yawned and stretched. Something fell from her lap and something stirred from beneath her. She was about to panic, until she realized that they must have fallen asleep on her beanbag last night. 

She turned to see Severus opening his eyes. She grinned at him. "Oops," she commented shortly. He smiled back at her. "Oops is right." 

Shaylee looked at her watch. "It's 7:30! I can't believe I'm awake already!" 

"I'm usually awake hours ago," Snape commented snidely. Shaylee rolled her eyes. "Whereas I'm always late for breakfast..." Shaylee said, rolling off of him and stretching her limbs in every direction on the floor. She beamed happily as her arms came together behind her head and she laid there staring at the ceiling. 

"Are you going to just stay there all day?" 

Shaylee sighed. "I wish..." 

"Speaking of breakfast, didn't it start a few minutes ago?" 

"Uhhuh. But who cares about breakfast?" Shaylee curled up into a ball. "Sleep is good..." 

"So is food..." 

Shaylee paused, then said, "You have a good point..." She grinned up at him. "But I have a cute little Potions Master who will save some food for me..." 

Severus glared at her as he stood up. "I wasn't aware that there was a _cute _little Potions Master at Hogwarts... I _do _hope he doesn't take my job..." 

Shaylee glared back at him as he got ready to leave through the fireplace. "Spawn of Satan," she muttered darkly. She heard a bark of laughter come back to her as he disappeared through the flames. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

When Shaylee entered the Great Hall (looking extremely disheveled, as her plan was to eat, then go back to sleep), she saw a few strange things. Firstly, the Gryffindors were all crowded onto one end of the table, leaving all the empty seats at the other side. On the other end of the table was Hermione, who was sitting with Scott, while Draco stood there talking to both of them and munching on a piece of toast. 

Perhaps along with his change of character, Draco decided he needed a new hairstyle... So, he had ditched the hair gel. 

The second thing that she noticed was strange was that Severus was not in his seat, but was walking over to where Draco was standing... 

_What in the world... _Then she realized that Lucius must be there. 

She ran down to the tables, then hurried along until she caught up with him. 

He looked down at her beaming face exasperatedly. "And I thought that I might be able to do it myself for once..." 

"Well, I figured out your mistake.... You thought!!" She giggled as he glared at her. 

She shrugged, figuring he just didn't get the joke, and said, "Well, we'd better not fight over him this time, so that I can have time for some food..." 

"You're not going," Snape said plainly. 

"**_What?_**" Shaylee stopped, facing him. "Nothing has happened to me before..." 

"Do you honestly think that no one has told Lucius what happened last night?" 

"But, he was setting the whole thing up anyway! He won't know that it's real!" 

Severus looked at her pointedly. She groaned. "Honestly, Severus! The man can't know everything! You make him seem much scarier than he actually is!" 

Severus flinched at his full first name coming from her mouth, then said in a low voice, "Shaylee, you don't know him... You don't know what he's capable of..." 

Shaylee looked in his eyes and shuddered, seeing something in there that looked like a confusing mixture of pain, anger, and the need for revenge. 

"The asshole may be dangerous, but he isn't psychic. I'm coming with you," she said boldly. 

Severus sighed, exasperated, then looked up to where Draco had been before. "Oh, shit..." 

Shaylee looked up, and saw that Draco wasn't there anymore, but Scott and Hermione were looking at them amused. 

"Where did Mr. Malfoy go?" Snape inquired, walking briskly up to them. 

Hermione shrugged. "He said something about his father..." 

Shaylee groaned. "OK, he might not be psychic... But his son must be..." 

Hermione smiled slightly, though there was a slight glint of worry in her eyes. "No, I think he just figures his father is here whenever he sees you two fighting..." 

"Hell, he must think his father is always here, then..." Scott commented under his breath, causing Severus to glare at him. 

"OK, then. Let's go!" Shaylee said, seeming oddly chipper. 

"Stay here, or I'll call you 'The Fairy Princess' for the rest of your career here," Severus threatened, then left. 

Shaylee shrugged. "Fine with me!" she called as she sped after him. 

"You're a full fledged idiot, you know that?" Snape stated when she caught up with him. 

"Why thank you, I did know that!" She grinned. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

"Good morning, father," Draco greeted as he walked into the Slytherin Common Room. 

His father was in his usual seat. "I trust that they got into a petty argument again?" 

"Yes," Draco answered shortly, recalling the scene in the Great Hall, almost wishing that they'd stop fighting so much so that he didn't have to spend time alone with his father. 

"I heard that last night went well..." 

Draco stilled, wondering what it was that he had heard. 

"So, she cares so much about you now that she defended you against her closest friends?" 

Draco nodded while his mind raced, trying to think of someone who worked for his father that might have been there. The person in the banshee costume came to mind. He had thought it wasn't a Death Eater, because it didn't look familiar, but most of the people who did his father's dirty work weren't in the Dark Lord's inner circle, so he _wouldn't _have known the person. Then, there was the fact that they hadn't seen the banshee at all after the fight following the Unmasking... Could that be the source of his father's information? 

He was brought back by his father saying something. "I'm very pleased with your work, Draco. And the Dark Lord will be, also. I will be in touch for the next part of the plan sometime next month." 

Lucius stood up, and walked towards the door, then turned to face Draco again. 

"Oh, one last thing, Draco. Remember, emotions are dull things. Those who rely on emotions will be destroyed." 

As the door opened, revealing Professors Snape and Weasley, his father breezed by them, not saying a word. Draco watched him leave, and found himself wondering exactly how much his father knew. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

::Starts a chorus of "I know something you don't know" to tease Draco:: LOL.... Anywho, I really AM sorry that it took so long... And, I know it's short too... LOL, I basically typed most of it today... The only reason it is up today is because I stayed home sick because I was out all weekend in the rain... Be glad that I practically downed the whole bottle of cough syrup, just so I could type.... ^_^ Nah, that's OK really... I have nothing better to do, except maybe test my "Jedi-like reflexes" on those little Happy Meal Sonic Games that my sister has... (I always win on those... They just make a bunch of really quick beeps when you win.... Quite pointless really...)Well, anyway, thank you, lovely reviewers! You all know how much I appreciate them, right? ^_^ I love you guys!! ::In an act of spontanteous gratitude, throws stupid Happy Meal Games out to all reviewers:: 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon: LOL. Hehe.... Yeah... I can just fit more humor in there easier than I could without making people seem terribly OOC, so I guess it _is_ a tad more interesting.... ^_^ Thanks so much! 

HPFanNikkie: Thanks. LOL! Heehee. I didn't really like it when he died either.... I haven't been able to write a fic where he's actually dead yet.... ^_^ 

Talon McGreggor: Thanks. Hehe, you're the first one that said something good about the size of my chapters... LOL... Here, have a cookie!! ^_^ 

Genevieve Jones: Heehee. Thanks!! Yeah, I've had a bunch of people telling me that they just started reading it.... It _is _kinda long... Well, thanks a bunch!!! 

skyleia: Heehee. Sorry it took so long! 

chelsea: Heehee. Thanks. I try to be nice. I've actually been told I'm _too _nice before.... ::grumbles:: And how exactly is a person too nice? ^_^ Just write more and more, and you'll get better at it. Don't get offended by any constructive criticism anyone gives you. Listen to what their saying, then look over your work and see if you notice the same thing. Oh, and that was my sister, and yeah, she goes to Purdue. That's really cool! Was he from around there, or did he live somewhere else before he went to college? 

Lizzie Malfoy1: Hehe. Unfortunately, I can't answer any of those questions, for fear of exposing something else... So, put your mind into detective mode and try to figure it out!! ^_^ 

Dying Angel1: LOL. I was actually gonna do that... But, then I thought of a really interesting idea that actually related to the Phantom of the Opera, so I'm saving that for later... I know, I love that book, and the play too! 

Gina Bina: I like the song too. I had never heard it, but I found the lyrics online. It's sung by Punchline. 

KEL-71E: Aw, that's OK! I'm sick too, so I know how that feels. Thanks, and I hope you like it! 

Lady Scarlett1: Heehee! Thank you!! 

Cute-Kitty: LOL.... Yes, they are quite good, actually. But, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in on which one I like more.... ^_^ 

Sailor Hermione: LOL... That's not a bad wish.... ^_^ But then, if you owned HP, then you'd be able to meet Tom Felton, and might be able to coerce him into a bathing suit.... ^_^ Yeah, I live in Indiana, and my school SUCKS!!! ^_^ ::ahem...:: Anywho... 

Danny Kaz: LOL! Your idol? Wow... Hehe, well one of my friends' idols is Voldemort, so I guess you aren't that strange... ^_^ And, thanks a bunch!!! 

I give it all to Mr. Black: Thanks. For a second there, I had to think hard to picture him in Flannel, but I got it after a while! ^_^ 

Gamegirl3: Heehee. Thanks! 

IceLily2: Keep your eyes open. The mystery will just kinda sneak up on you... ^_^ 

sarah: Oh, oops. Sorry 'bout that... That actually happened with someone else this time too... I think I know which part it was too.... Hmm, but I can't type it, now can I? ^_^ 

Kat Davi: LOL! That's what I'd do if I had one.... Hmmm, but my mom makes me take all the hard classes, so I have no room for one... Darn. 

emimi: Heehee. Naw, I'm keeping it PG-13, dear. I know, that's what I was thinking. I was actually gonna have Snape go to the Masquerade as the Phantom, but I changed my mind, cuz it'd ruin the whole "Snuggle up and read Phantom of the Opera" scenes... Cuz he would have obviously already read it! ^_^ 

islandgirl4: Thanks bunches! 

Pyrefly: LOL. They fell asleep, but no one's walked in on them yet.... Notice the key word there? ^_^ 

Silbara: LOL, I know what you mean. Usually when people say, "Can you picture ___?" I can usually honestly say yes. I had to stop and think really hard about this one.... ^_^ 

Lady Coia: ::giggles insanely:: Ahem.... Sorry bout that! ^_^ Anywho, thanks! ^_~ 

Meg: Unfortunately, I can't answer either yes or no to that cuz I might accidently reveal something that's being kept a secret... But, you can figure it out!! ^_^ 

sakura langert: Sorry that one was so short. I just wrote something at school and wanted to get it up quickly. 

Alexzy: Heehee... I know about the cliffy thing. Earlier on in my writing, I kept asking my friends about what they'd think if they read certain things as the end. It's slowly going from "Holy cow, that's corny," to, "Go write. Now." LOL.... Thanks! 

ShadowRogue: Holy cow! I think that's as much as I have bookmarked, and that's _every _fanfic I'm currently following... Wow, well, thanks!! 

Zohar: lol! Thanks. That's OK, hyperness is fun! ^_^ 

BelleThePhilosopher'sCookie: Heehee. Yes, I agree with you on that! ^_^ 

ONE! TWO! FIVE! three sir! THREEEE! KABOOM!: Heehee! Gotta love Monty Python! ^_^ Anywho, hehe, yeah, that might be a good thing... ^_^ 

Agent Daidouji: Hehe. Thanks! 

dracosgurl_chrissy: LOL... Yeah... Well, we're getting closer and closer to that, so you should find out if you keep reading. Don't worry... I'm trying to keep everyone happy with me, so I won't kill someone everyone loves.... Unless the timing is right... Or I'm mad and need to kill someone... ^_^ 


	33. Planning

Disclaimer: I had _major _Writer's Block on the beginning of this chapter. I was sitting on the bus, trying to think of something to write.... But the blank piece of paper just kept on staring me in the face. So, I had heard somewhere that if the paper wasn't blank, the Writer's Block would go away (don't ask where I read it. I forget.). So, to conquer my Writer's Block, I wrote at the top of the paper, "THIS IS NOT A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER ANYMORE!!". Well, it didn't work... All I did was read the sentence over and over again. All I did was read the sentence over and over again. All I did was-- well, you get the idea. ^_^ So, since JK Rowling has been writing for so long, and she's so good at it, I think she probably has better ways at conquering Writer's Block..... 

AN: Thank you to everyone that wished me a happy birthday. My day was OK, and my week was awesome! 

AN2: Sorry it took such a long time. This weekend, I was spending time with my sister who I'm very close to, but just went away to college. I also had to play my flute at the football game, and be called a band geek by cheerleaders. BAND GEEKS ROCK, BTW!! 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

The next few days didn't bring very many improvements to Draco's and Hermione's situation. They were still being ignored by the whole school. 

Once in a while, in the Common Room, Harry talked to Hermione, but he didn't acknowledge that she was there whenever she was with Draco. 

In their next Potions class, Hermione and Draco were partners, without any sarcastic comments from Snape. Just like Hermione, Draco had been shunned by his house-mates and his usual partner had chosen to be with another Slytherin. 

Over on the other side of the room, Harry was privately hoping that the two perfectionists would get in a fight over their work. He knew, though, that the two were the top two in their Potions class, and the chances were very slim that one of them would make a mistake. 

As it turned out, he was correct, and they got full points on their potion.   


It was their next class, DADA, where things started to get a little rough. 

Some people knew that Shaylee was on Draco's and Hermione's "side", but they didn't exactly take that as the warning that they should have. 

When the 5th years got to class, they were acting as they had been all day. Shaylee didn't like that. 

She started class normally, then started in a deadly voice. 

"As you all know, I did not get my schooling at Hogwarts. My father wanted his children to be educated in France, so we were." 

She paused to hop up on her desk. "I had always been jealous of my cousins, who go to learn under the great Albus Dumbledore, and I was very pleased when I got a job here." 

She crossed her arms and looked at them seriously. "Now, however, I realize that I was lucky to go to a school whose houses didn't try to kill each other on a regular basis." She shrugged indifferently. "Heck, if I had the whole school mad at me whenever I had a boyfriend from a different house, then I would have been a total outcast!" 

The class was staring at her grimly, except for Hermione, who was trying to hold back her smile. 

"Now, if you will all wipe off the 'She knows; now we must kill her,' looks off of your face, and get out your books, we can start learning about the creatures who are about to jump up from behind Neville and bite his hand off." 

Neville jumped sky high and spun around with his wand, causing the rest of the class to break into hysterical laughter. 

Shaylee grinned and commented with a chuckle, "Not bad, boyo. Very good reflexes, in fact." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee was sitting at the High Table at lunch, giggling. (Yes, she was actually on time for once) 

"What did you do?" Severus asked dryly. 

"What makes you think that I did anything?" Shaylee said innocently. 

"You're looking very happy." 

"And that's different from usual?" Shaylee pointed out. 

"You're happy in an evil way," Severus amended. 

"Ah! Well you caught me!" Shaylee fake swooned, then shrugged. "I just put a major guilt trip on my 5th year class by talking about how if I was ignored for having a boyfriend from another house, I'd have been a total outcast my whole school career..." 

"Oh, how enlightening," Severus commented sarcastically. 

"Aww... Sevvy's jealous... How cute..." Shaylee cooed. 

Severus glared at her. 

"Well, don't worry. They were all jerks anyway. And the ones that weren't jerks weren't as cute as you!" She grinned and tickled him under the chin. 

"I'm _not_ cute!" 

"Oh, yes you are, and you know it!" Shaylee teased. 

Snape became aware of Dumbledore watching them with laughter in his eyes. 

They were interrupted by a single owl flying into the hall. 

"That's odd..." Shaylee commented. "What's an owl doing here now? It's lunchtime." 

Shaylee got even more confused as the owl headed her way and landed beside her plate. 

She took the letter from the owl (who then flew away) and looked at the seal on the back. Her eyes widened in panic and she tore the envelope open. 

She scanned through the letter quickly, and sighed with relief. 

"Wow... They sure know how to scare a person..." 

Severus had picked up the envelope and was looking at the back. 

"St. Mungo's? Why did you get a letter from St. Mungo's?" 

Shaylee rolled her eyes. "Because the idiots running the place think that they need to scare a person to death to tell them that their father is improving and can have visitors..." 

"Oh..." Severus didn't quite know what he should say. 

"Yeah. He's been in extremely critical care for a while. It's great that he's _finally _getting better." She rolled her eyes. "Maybe the old man will recognize me the next time I visit," she said bitterly, though there was a fond smile on her face. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Hermione and Draco were sitting on the gym floor in their PE clothes, waiting for Professor Weasley to show up. 

Hermione sighed, exasperated. "Is she ever going to be on time?" 

The door burst open and Shaylee ran in just as a bell sounded, signaling the start of class. 

She grinned at them. "Sorry. I'm not quite used to being the teacher, and not the student..." 

She allowed the few students who had missed the bell inside and then shut the door. 

"OK, sit down on the floor around me. Time to listen!" Shaylee said, leaning against the wall. 

The students sat down on the floor and looked up at her expectantly. 

"Do you remember our first class when I told you that we'd be swimming soon? Well, that's going to start next week. There will be a few rules, however." 

As Shaylee went on with her gruesome stories (which were meant to back up the rules, but only succeeded in giving the guys crazy stories to tell their friends), the gears in Hermione's head started to spin and she formulated a plan. 

After the rules and details had been laid out, it was almost time for the class to end, so she let the students who had changed into their PE clothes go into the locker room to change. 

Draco cringed. Hermione and him had gotten there before the rest of the class, so he hadn't had to put up with any abuse in the locker room. They had stupidly changed into their PE clothes before knowing what was planned for the day. 

Draco sighed and walked into the locker room, resolving to change as quickly as possible. 

However, there was a problem of getting to his locker, where his clothes were. His locker was in the midst of a bunch of other Slytherins' lockers, so he had to get to get there before the rest of his classmates, or else he knew he'd be pummeled. 

He was buttoning his shirt when he felt someone behind him. He spun around to see Blaise looking at him intensely. 

He sighed. "Look, Blaise, I--" 

"It's for him, isn't it?" 

Draco stilled as he realized what he meant, and when he remembered that Blaise was the only Slytherin he knew of that was openly opposed to Voldemort. 

Draco moved closer to Blaise and said in a low voice, "Blaise, there are people around that can't hear what I have to say, so will you talk to me, in the dormitory after classes?" 

Blaise looked at him for a moment, then simply nodded and moved away. 

Draco pulled his sweater over his head, dropped his tie over his neck, and grabbed his robe to leave the locker room before Crabbe and Goyle got there to beat his brains out. 

When he walked into the gym, he saw that Hermione was having a quiet conversation with Professor Weasley. 

Professor Weasley was grinning, which wasn't necessarily a good thing, and Hermione was nodding and saying something, to which the professor answered. 

By then, Draco had reached them, and reached out to touch her shoulder to tell her that he was there. 

Hermione nodded at him, then thanked the professor and walked away, holding Draco's arm. 

"So, what was that about?" Draco asked. 

"Nothing really," Hermione said, and looked up at him, seeing his sloppy appearance. 

She sighed. "Oh, really Draco, can't you find the time to fix your tie, at least?" 

Draco rolled his eyes but let her straighten him up. 

When she finally stepped back to admire her handywork, Draoc commented dryly, "Why, thank you for making me look like a gentleman..." 

Hermione giggled and kissed his cheek as the bell rang, letting them out of class. "Why, Draco, you aren't a gentleman, silly!" 

~*~*~**~*~*~   
OK, just wanted to say before I start, the only real reason that Draco was changing, and didn't think to use the spell, is so that we could use our powerful imaginations to imagine him buttoning up his shirt... ::drools:: Sorry, just a really nice picture in my head... 

DON'T FORGET: The 500th reviewer gets invited to a "party" with the characters at the end of a chapter. ^_^ Have fun, guys! 

Like I said, it's very short for the time that it took for me to get it up. That's all my fault, but really, what are you guys gonna do? Kill me? I mean, if there isn't a me, there isn't a fanfic.... ^_^ It's pretty sad when you're stooped down to blackmailing people to let you stay alive..... ^_^ 

Thanks to the great reviewers! You all reminded me of my old ways, so I woke up and started writing my story in class again! ^_^ 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

AlabamaBabe: ^_^ Thanks a bunch! 

UndomielEvenstar: Thanks, thanks, and thanks. ^_^ Oh, and thanks for the kewl looking balloon too! ^_~ 

Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon: LOL. My Biology teacher is creepy too.... Geesh... I think any science teacher is creepy, tho. ^_^ And, hehe, you really should know by now that, no matter what you guess, I can't tell you until it happens! ^_^ Sorry! 

water demon: Thanks. Sorry it took so long. Now I feel really guilty... ^_^ 

ChickFlick004: Heehee. Sorry. I didn't mean to provoke you... Really! ^_^ 

Tickled Purple Monkey: Heehee. Thanks a lot! And, I had a wonderful B-day. 

KEL-71E: Hehe... My sisters and I sing that song REALLY loudly whenever it comes on the radio.... ^_^ And, thanks! 

Static Wolf: LOL, I totally agree with you about school only being good for daydreams. I just sit in English (cuz we're doing icky grammar now) and plan out my story word for word, so that I can write it at lunch.... ^_^ Thanks bunches!! 

ShadowRogue: Hehe. Yes, I put up with Legolas-Obsessed-ness all the time... I'm the official "get 'un-obsessed' psychiatrist" for my friends at school. All I hafta do is let them look at my collection of other hot actors.... ^_^ 

chelsea: Heehee. Thanks a bunch! My birthday was awesome! 

skyleia: LOL. OK, I dunno if your name has _anything _at all to do with Star Wars, but it just reminded me of something, so I'm going to tell you! ^_^ The other day, when I had nothing at all to do (this was because my mom wasn't letting me on the computer), I decided to search through my closet for a possible Halloween costume (very early, I know...) So, I found a Princess Leia dress and put it on. That got me in a mood to watch Star Wars. So, I ended up watching Star Wars in a Princess Leia dress... Quite pathetic, huh? ^_^ 

Mystic Snow: Thanks a bunch! LOL. Ah, yes, the art of procrastinating... Stupid homework. I'm really happy with myself, though, because I accidently finished tonight's Algebra last night, so YAY! ^_^ 

Dying Angel1: LOL. The Phantom part is actually gonna be the last chapter... I have that figured out already... ^_^ But, there are others leading up to that part... So, pay attention! ^_^ 

Squish: Um... Were you trying to confuse me with the Shakespearian talk? Cuz it worked... ^_^ But, I think it means something like, "You get a good review, because the chapter is good also. And because the chapter is good, the author is also good." Am I relatively close? If so, wow, you're being nice for once.... ^_^ 

dracosgurl_chrissy: LOL. I might get mad at characters once in a while, but I'm not evil enough to kill a character that I actually like.... And, fortunately, I like most of the characters.... ^_^ 

cH0c0LaTe kiSseS: Thanks! 

AWESOME: Oh dear... Lovely name... ^_^ Thanks, heehee. ::signs authograph sheet, slightly hesitantly:: ^_^ 

nuova*seduzione: ^_^ Thanks! 

RonPLUSHermione4eva: Heehee. Thanks a lot! 

Lady Coia: ^_^ Oh, go ahead and wonder. I feel so bad, hearing everyone wonder what's gonna happen, cuz I have it planned out... And, you poor poor people! I feel so sorry for you! ^_^ 

Kat Davi: Ugh. That sucks. Oh dear... Coffee beans.... Chocolate covered espresso beans are really good. ^_^ But, I've had some-- ::sweatdrops::-- slightly bad experiences with those.... 

Silbara: Heehee. You lucky person! You get the only clue out of all these reviewers who have a question! You asked the only clue-able question. ^_^ See, Lucius is a smart guy, right? But, he does lose his temper a lot. So one does wonder what kind of reason would keep him from hurting his son when he knows that he has been disobeyed. But, he is a very _smart guy_. A smart, evil guy, yet he's smart... You know, I just read that. And it really does no good, so try to figure it out if you want, I guess... LOL. 

Genevieve Jones: Ahhhhh, the bansheee will be revealed near the end. Ahhhh! Look at that! You got a hint too! Oooo, I'm feeling so generous today! ^_^ 

Meg: LOL. I know. My older sister doesn't think that there is a point... But it keeps me from getting bored... And she can't do them, anyway... ^_^ 

Kelli: ^_^ Heehee! Thanks! Snape is falling really fast! Heehee, I pushed Snape! ^_^ Hehe, sorry, I've had too much caffiene.... ^_^ 

Pyrefly: LOL... Ooops, sorry I forgot to put Neville in there.... Er, uh, yeah... Darn... You got it? Neville's the banshee? ^_^ Nah, you hafta wait! That's confidential info!!!   



	34. A Talk With The Big Guy

Disclaimer: If you take the name of the town I live in and send it through a spell check, it asks if you meant "Bowel". And, I guess, when I think about it, that really _is _what I meant.... I wonder what you'd get if you put, "Fancy Mansion in Scotland" through the spell check... Hmmm... It stays the same.... 

AN: I got a part in the play we're putting on! It's M*A*S*H, and I'm Lt. Nancy Phillips, who cries a lot... ^_^ That's part of the reason why it took so long. Another is because my sister had an essay to do, and she needed the computer... And it took me a long time to write this one. I went over it many times, to make sure I got the details right... ^_^ 

AN2: _Reecnt stduies say taht poeple can raed senetcnes wehn the letrtes in a wodr are miexd. Thsi is beacues peeplo don't read uisng evrey indaividul lettre, but intsaed they read the wrod as a whloe. That's prtety naet, rhigt?_

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee was laying on her fuzzy rug, throwing a ball up in the air and catching it. She was not wearing her school outfit, but was instead in normal jeans and a T-shirt. 

She caught the ball and looked at her watch, which read, "7:42". She cursed as she sat up quickly and grabbed her robes, running out of the room. 

Her robes were halfway on when she stopped in front of the teacher and composed herself, before opening the door and striding confidently in. 

None of the students noticed her late arrival, but the other professors were another story. She blushed as she sat down on her seat, perfectly aware of the mocking look on Severus' face. 

"Dinner begins at seven, I believe," he commented offhandedly. Shaylee glared at him. "I was grading," she fibbed. 

"And you lost track of time? I'm sure..." Severus said, nodding knowingly. 

"Hey! I was! For the first half hour,,," 

"And then it took fifteen minutes to walk down here? If you were going to take that long to get here, why didn't you change back into your school outfit before you came down?" 

Shaylee glared at him silently for a few moments, then said begrudgingly, "OK, meanie, you win." 

Severus sat back in his chair, satisfied. "Good." 

"Yeah, yeah. Leave me alone; I'm not talking to you!" Shaylee turned away and busied herself with her plate. 

Severus studied her for a few moments, and when she showed no sign of going back on her word, he decided to retaliate. 

Shaylee jumped as a hand suddenly appeared on her leg. She turned to glare at Severus, but stopped at the serious look on his face. 

Her face was turning redder every second she stayed in this position. She abruptly stood up. "You know what? I just remembered that I needed to check something with a student." 

And with that, Shaylee spun around and walked down to the Gryffindor table and sat down beside Scott, Draco, and Hermione determinedly. 

"Er... Hi?" Draco said, looking at her strangely. 

"What? Can't a person talk to her friends? Is that against the law?" Shaylee demanded. 

"Well, it isn't against the law, but there **is **an old rule shown in _Hogwarts; A History _that says that teachers aren't allowed to sit at the house tables," Hermione said nonchalantly. 

"Yeah, and there's also one saying that a student can't sit at another house's table, but one certain professor isn't going to kick one certain Slytherin out if she's able to remain in a good mood," Shaylee returned, with a vile look at Draco. 

"Woah... Hold on. What's wrong, Shay?" Scott asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

Shaylee paused, then said, "Nothing." She glanced quickly back at the High Table. "You know, guys, I'd better be going. I'll see you in class tomorrow." With that said, she stood up and got ready to leave. 

"Professor?" Hermione asked suddenly. "Is everything alright with--?" She nodded towards the High Table, not wanting to say anything in front of Scott or Draco. 

Shaylee smiled. "Oh, don't worry. Our deal is still on." 

Hermione nodded and Shaylee turned and left the Great Hall. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Later that night, Shaylee was in her office, laying upside-down on her chair. Severus hadn't come over; he was probably mad at her, she figured. 

She was running out of things to do. Her ball had gone under her desk and she was too lazy to get up and get it. She'd gotten all her papers graded, and she'd already counted the bricks on her wall two times. _The Phantom of the Opera _was sitting on her desk, but she didn't feel like reading, especially that. Plus, she really shouldn't read ahead. 

The fire suddenly turned green, interrupting her thoughts. She jumped up, waiting for Severus to come through the flames, but instead, she heard a voice say, "Professor Weasley, will you come to my office please?" 

Needless to say, Shaylee was disappointed, but she shrugged her school robes over her pajamas and walked through the fire to land in Dumbledore's office. 

"Good evening, Shaylee," Dumbledore said from the chair behind his desk. 

"You needed to see me?" Shaylee sat down across from him. 

Dumbledore sighed. "Ahh, yes. I _did _need to discuss something with you." 

"..And?..." 

"Would you like a lemon drop?" Albus suddenly asked, extending a tin container towards her. 

"Er... Sure..." Shaylee took one and popped it into her mouth. 

"So, how are things with Severus?" 

Shaylee almost choked on her lemon drop. "Er... Why do you ask?" she asked cautiously. 

Dumbledore studied her and Shaylee shifted uncomfortably. 

"OK. I know what you're getting at. You want to know about today's dinner incident..." 

Dumbledore just kept looking at her expectantly, so she continued. 

"I know he has feelings for me, and I for him, but--" 

"Severus is not one to play 'Hard-to-get' with. He's had a lot of pain in his past." 

"I know! That's why I'm keeping my distance!" Shaylee snapped. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath, frustrated. 

"I don't want to hurt him," she finally stated simply. "I've been fickle in the past, and I don't want to make him fall in love with me just to break his heart." 

Dumbledore didn't say anything, but just kept looking at her. "I understand your reasoning," he finally said. "But you're hurting Severus by trying to be considerate." 

Shaylee looked into his eyes seriously. "I'm saving him from a world of hurt. And I'm going to continue acting this way until I'm totally sure of my feelings." 

"So you don't know if you love him of not?" Dumbledore asked her, leaning forward. 

"A fickle heart often lies." Shaylee responded simply, though it hurt her to say it. 

Dumbledore smiled. "Your worry about his heart tells you the truth." 

Shaylee smiled softly, but sadly. "Thank you for your concern, headmaster. I'm going to take everything into consideration. However, right now, I just need to sleep on it." 

Dumbledore smiled understandingly and watched as Shaylee walked back through the fire. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

K, I've got a plan for this, so don't worry. No one's gonna get depressed and commit suicide... Hey, wait... Hehe... No, I'm just kidding. ^_^   
READ THIS FIRST: A'ight, I promised that there would be a "party type thing" at the end of this chapter for the 500th reviewer. However, I had some trouble with my reviews. Some places might say I have 500 reviews, while the other places say I have 498 reviews... So, what I did was count up the reviews on my review page by showing them by chapter and adding them. I did this twice to be sure, and it turned out that I had 504 reviews.... ^_^ Hehe, and that made it really easy for me to figure out which was the 500th after that... I know that there were a couple of people whose computers said that they were the 500th, so sorry to those peeps. Ff.net's review scales are really weird.... ^_^ Anywho, here it is, in italics. CONGRATS HEATHER MALFOY!! (Hehe, this party is based on the impression I got from her in her reviews and the emails I got.... No offense to her... ^_^)__

_ Severus and Shaylee walked into the room. It was decorated with balloons and a banner that said, '**Heather Malfoy is the 500th Reviewer!' **"Wow... I'm surprised that we got that many... And Ashiri's not even done writing yet..." Severus commented dryly. "Ouch!" Shaylee replied. "Are you saying that I'm not funny?" Severus rolled his eyes. "Of course not..."_   
_ The door opened and Draco and Hermione rushed in. "What's the hurry?" Shaylee asked. "Well, there's this freak out there. She's Ashiri's sister and she's really mad because she was the 499th reviewer..." "Ouch, that's gotta hurt..." Shaylee said with a smug look on her face. "Yeah, she tried to steal my wand and curse me... Even though she's a Muggle..." Hermione said, shooting a nervous look at the door._   
_ "Well, we'd better get in our hiding spots if we want to surprise the reviewer..." "Hey, who's the 500th reviewer anyway?" Draco asked. "Can't you read?" Shaylee teased. Both Draco and Hermione looked up at the banner. "Heather Malfoy?" Hermione asked blankly._   
_ "Er... She's my... sister?" "Yeah... right!" "Hey, what can I say? All women adore me!" Draco shrugged, grinning. Hermione glared at him. "Shut up, or I'll show you how much my wand adores you..." she threatened. Draco whimpered and went to hide. The rest of them followed him, and just in time, as the door opened again._   
_ "Hello?" Heather Malfoy walked into the room and looked around. She had no idea where she was, or why she was there. All she knew was that she was being written into something. "SURPRISE!!!" The main characters of Troubled Waters jumped out at her. "..." Heather just stared at them, then started shrieking. "Um.... Is that good?" Severus asked cautiously. "Yes, you twit! Those are good shrieks, not 'Oh-my-God-I'm-gonna-die-shrieks'!" Shaylee flicked his arm teasingly._   
_ Heather burst out laughing. "Oh, I love you guys! You're so funny!" "Erm... Oh dear... Well, you can have a balloon... I suppose..." Draco cautiously handed her a red balloon, which resulted in Heather giving him a big hug. "Um.... OK..."_   
_ Shaylee burst out laughing. "You know... I think I like her... Come on, Heather. Let's go wreak some havoc together..." "Yay!" Heather Malfoy cried and followed Shaylee out of the room._   


**I love ths fic: **Hehe... I figured out that much from your name... ^_^   
**Heather Malfoy: **LOL.... Wow.... Thanks for taking the time to review all those chapters... And, thanks for laughing too! It makes me feel funny! ^_~ Oh, and btw, congrats. Did you read your little party up there? ^_^   
**Squish: **Squish, have I ever told you how much of a freak you are? LOL, jk! Anywho, thanks I suppose... ^_^ At least you took the time to read it... ^_^   
**Genevieve Jones: **I read it and it's awesome!   
**Crazy Courtney: **Heehee. Thanks!   
**Malfoyeress: **OK, are you psychic? Or just extremely intuitive? Geesh! Anywho, I'm going to stop before anyone understands what I'm getting at... ^_^ Oh, and thanks!!   
**Kaleigh aka Narwa: **Heehee! Thanks a bunch! And, don't worry, there are a lot of people who just let loose with their reviews and it's really hard to read them... But, with yours I could understand it perfectly! And, thanks! The Sh/Sev thing is progressing. But they've gotta have a little dispute now and then! ^_^   
**Tickled Purple Monkey: **Hehe, thanks! And, you'll find out really soon!   
**Debatingqueen: **LOL. About the cheerleaders thing, I just really meant what I said.... There were a bunch of cheerleaders calling us band geeks.... ^_^ But, some of them are all right. Anywho, thanks!   
**Sheyla Potter: **LOL. That sorta rhymed... ^_^ Don't worry, we'll get there!   
**skyleia: **LOL, that's very true. It's actually a tradition, though for my sisters and I, that we talk about what we're gonna be next year right when we get home from Trick-or-Treating... We usually change our minds though. For instance, I just decided that instead of Princess Leia, I'm going to be a Hogwarts student for the 4th year in a row... Hehe....   
**foodiholic: **Heehee! Thanks a bunch! Those were examples of ones that I had a lot of caffeine before writing... Maybe I should drink a lot more Mountain Dew... ^_^   
**em*: **Hehe. Very true. Thanks!   
**magical ferret: **LOL. Wow... Oops! Sorry bout that!   
**Sparkle Eyed Dreamer: **Hehe, thanks! I guess sitting there until U think of something is better than just writing a bunch of nothing... ^_^   
**ShadowRogue: **LOL... Oh, I know what that means... I used to be called that too. Now, everyone calls another friend of mine that because she's much worse than me.... Hehe... ^_^   
**Water Demon: **Yep I really play the flute! Hopefully I get piccolo next year, if I'm good enough. ^_^   
**Silbara: **LOL! I actually do that! Usually, if I have time, then I go back to read it _after _I read the chapter, but there are actually times I forget to read it altogether, and it turns out there was something important in it... ^_^ Well, thanks a bunch for your review!   
**Dying Angel1: **LOL. Sorry. Oh, well, I'm not exactly sure how many chapters I have left, but I'm trying to figure out if I should have alternate endings or not.... Pretty much, both would have _a _Phantom part, but one would be much bigger than the other... Well, I'll think of it later... ^_^   
**pkchihuahuas: **Hehe... Not very soon, but I _did _update... ^_^   
**UndomielEvenstar: **Heehee!! ^_~ Thanks!   
**Genevieve Jones: **Yeah. I know. I've been on "humor drain". School does that to a person, you know? ^_^ I'm trying to make some more filler chappies, cuz those are the funniest ones, but sometimes it doesn't pan out. Well, I'll try!   
**Melinda: **Woohooo! Yay for band geeks! ^_^ What instrument do you play? Anywho, I think a lot of people who are reading this love Draco Malfoy... ^_^ Thanks for reading!   
**Tendra: **LOL. Thanks a bunch! Heehee, I feel special now! ^_^   
**KEL-71E: **Oh! Lucky! Hehe... Nope, you didn't miss anything, really! ^_^ Yeah, I took a long time with this chapter... But, thanks!   
**dracosgurl_chrissy: **Heehee. Sorry it took a long time. Anyway, I'll try to write as much as possible at play practice, so maybe I can get the next one done quickly....   
**Dracos-Mistress06: **LOL. Was that supposed to scare me? Cuz it did! ^_^ Hehe, thanks and you'll figure that out soon!   
**AlabamaBabe: **Heehee! Band geeks DO rock! ^_^ Our school is really small. We don't even have a marching band. We just have 2 Jr High bands and then a Sr. High band, which is technically the Pep Band. There used to be a Marching Band, but it got washed out. And there was a Jazz Band last year... I dunno what happened to it... ^_^ But, thanks for reading!   
**Meg: **Heehee. That's OK. Well, one of the other reviewers mentioned imagining yourself in a party. Hehe... Then there wouldn't be any guidelines and you wouldn't be written in by someone else... ^_^   
**Kat Davi: **Well, U confused me too, so hehe... ^_^ But, thanks!   
**BelleThePhilosopher'sCookie: **Hehe. No problem. Here, you can have a cookie as a consolation prize... ^_^ And, just use your imagination to come up with your own little party! Heehee... I've actually had dreams where I've met my characters before... Freaky!   
**Cute-Kitty: **LOL. I stay up late to read sometimes too. My mom thinks I'm crazy... ^_^ I'm glad you enjoyed it!   
**Mystic Snow: **Thanks a bunch. You'll hafta wait and see. I think that's going to be in the next chapter.   
**Pyrefly: **Heehee! That's very true!   
**Fantasy Is My Life 1: **LOL. Patience! ^_~   
**HPFanNikkie: **Heehee! That's next chapter, I'm pretty sure! You'll have to wait a little while!   
**Static Wolf: **LOL. I do that in Algebra. It's quite amusing, because I keep my sheet of homework right over my notebook so that I can slide it over my fanfic if the teacher walks by... ^_^   
**Lady Coia: **LOL. I try. I've noticed that things seem a lot longer on paper than they do on the computer screen... And I write at school whenever I find time, so it's hard to see how long it will be... 


	35. White Lies

Disclaimer: I love the moose. I just think they're a cool animal. However, I have a hard time accepting that "mooses" is not a word... ::sigh:: I tell you, Webster was on drugs when he wrote the 'M' Section! Anyway, I'm sure that if JKR wrote something about more than one moose, she would write, for example, "All of the moose like me." I, on the other hand, would stubbornly write, "All of the mooses are desperately in love with me and want me to have their children." OK, now _that _is what I call demented... ^_^ 

AN: I'm tired, hungry, and I need to do my homework. However, I don't feel like it, and that's what the nurses office is for: skipping Algebra!! But, anyway, that is why this chapter might sound a little.... tired, hungry, and needing to do its homework... ^_~ 

AN2: Just wanted to say something I forgot last chapter.... Let's hope that JKR will tell us whether Blaise is a boy or a girl by the 7th book.... It's very confusing.... ^_^ 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Through the next week, all conversation between Severus and Shaylee, when there was any, was strained. 

Shaylee always left right after she was done with her meal, which she ate quickly and quietly. 

Severus seemed to be falling back into all of his old habits. He was being especially nasty to his classes again, and his hair was steadily growing greasier. 

But, while Shaylee never even glanced towards Severus, he was always watching her. He studied her face whenever she was near, trying to figure out what was going through her head. Shaylee knew that she was being watched, but never said anything to stop it. 

Dumbledore watched all this occur sadly. He had been hoping, for Severus' sake... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Hermione was grinning as she walked into the gym. Today was the day that they were going to swim. 

There were already girls in the locker room changing. They were allowed to wear their own bathing suits, as long as they weren't too revealing. Hermione used a spell to change quickly. She remembered to leave her hair down instead of putting it up as usual, and walked out of the locker room with a towel around her. 

There was already a small group crowded around the door to the gym. Draco wasn't there yet, so she just leaned against the wall, staring at the door to the boys' locker room, willing Draco to come out. 

She was surprised when Draco didn't walk out alone. He was talking jovially to a Slytherin boy that she didn't really know. 

When they reached Hermione, Draco put a possessive arm around her waist and proceeded to introduce the two. 

"Hermione, this is Blaise Zambini, a fellow Slytherin." 

"Hello..." Hermione greeted hesitatingly. 

"It's nice to meet you, Hermione." Blaise stuck out his hand, and looked her in the eyes. Hermione smiled and took his hand. He seemed to be a very nice guy. 

The group had grown larger, but Professor Weasley hadn't shown up yet. The bell rang and Shaylee popped out of the pool door. 

"Hey, the door wasn't locked... You could have come in, you know..." she said, stepping aside to let them inside. Shaylee was wearing a green bathing suit with her robes over the,. 

"I need to retain _some _authority," she explained when her cousin looked at her strangely. 

The class sat down on the benches by the pool and waited for instructions. 

Shaylee stood in front of the class. "Firstly, I know that there are some of you who can't swim. That's fine and we'll try to get past it. But, I also happen to know that there are a few very talented divers in this class." 

Draco elbowed Hermione teasingly. She blushed, but didn't say anything. 

"So, just for a bit of fun, let's have Draco show us one of his best dives." 

"W-what? _Me?_" "That's what I said. Get out there, Malfoy," Professor Weasley said, pointing towards the diving board. "I promise that I won't point my wand in your direction unless you're drowning," she prompted. Draco stood up, exasperated. "OK..." He walked over to the diving board while Shaylee climbed up on the lifeguard seat. 

He got up on the diving board and stretched down to touch his toes. 

The whole class was watching him. Draco sent mental daggers towards Shaylee before diving off. 

When he came up, Shaylee was clapping enthusiastically while Hermione was giving him a thumbs up. Blaise was smiling, but otherwise, the class was just staring at him, stony-faced. 

"Awesome job, Draco!" Shaylee beamed as Draco sat down. 

"Hey, I just remembered that I left my whistle in my office, so I'm going to let Hermione show you some of her dives. Draco, you're obviously capable, so you can be the emergency lifeguard. Though it won't be needed..." 

"Um... O...K..." Draco said as Shaylee popped out of the room, not leaving him much choice. 

Hermione bounced off of her seat and to the diving board, winking at Draco on the way. 

She reached the diving board and started to think of which dive she was going to use for her plan... When she reached her decision, she reached down to touch her toes, looked to Draco for his grin, then ran to jump off.   


Draco watched as Hermione spun into the water. It wasn't as good as the dive that she had shown him when they had met in the pool, but it was still better than he could do. 

He cheered as she hit the water. Blaise was also clapping, and some of Hermione's old friends were looking very impressed. 

Draco waited for Hermione to come out of the water so that they could continue. She didn't come up. 

"Oh, shit..." Draco craned his neck, but all he could see was a blue shimmer, along with her fanning hair near the bottom of the pool. When he looked closer, he could also see that she wasn't moving. 

He cursed again, then jumped in the pool. Swimming towards the bottom, he saw her limp body, floating in the middle. 

He grabbed her waist and started to pull her upwards, but she wouldn't move very far. Upon a quick investigation, he saw that her hair was stuck in a filter. He quickly made way to the filter, keeping in mind that every second they were underwater, water was filling up her lungs. 

He untangled her hair from the filter and kicked off of the pool floor, carrying her up with him. Upon reaching the the top of the pool, Draco set Hermione on the edge of the pool, remembering the time when they had been in this exact spot, doing the same thing, but they had switched places since then. 

"God, Hermione... Come on..." he muttered. There were a few people coming down from the benches to surround them. It seemed that when an old friend was faced with death, they weren't mad at her anymore... Deciding that he needed to perform CPR right that moment, he started. 

Harry was kneeling behind him, just muttering, "Oh my God..." over and over again. Ron didn't seem like he could say anything; his face was stark white, and it looked like _he'd_ be the one needing CPR soon. 

"Come on, Hermione. You know how much I love you..." Draco wasn't going to give up. He had found the girl he loved, and he wasn't going to let her die just because her hair was slightly long and more likely to get stuck in a filter than most girls' hair! 

Suddenly, Hermione opened her eyes, spit out some water, and sat up. "What... Oh. Hi." And with that, she grabbed Draco and pulled him into a huge kiss. 

As soon as Draco pulled away, the room was full of questions. 

"What happened?" 

"Are you OK?" 

"Did you hit your head?" 

Hermione shook her head silently. 

"I dived down there and swam by the filter when I was getting ready to go back up to the surface, but my hair got stuck. I tried to get it undone, but it didn't work. I was running out of air, but I didn't open my mouth. Finally, I just blacked out from lack of air..." 

The rest of the class seemed satisfied with this explanation, even Harry and Ron, who were now huddled around Hermione, telling her how sorry they were and asking her if she was sure she was all right. 

Draco, however, was a little unsure. Hermione had only been underwater for fifteen seconds, twenty tops, before Draco had gone down to get her. He knew that she could hold her breath for a _lot _longer than that. He'd seen her hold it for over a minute before! One thing was for sure; she hadn't actually been drowning. 

"Well, it's lucky for me that Draco saved me... Really... I don't think I would have lived any longer if he hadn't gone down there..." Hermione continued, innocently. 

Harry grinned at him thankfully, and even Ron gave him a courteous nod. 

_Ohh... So that was what she was doing... The plotting little witch..._

He looked knowingly at Hermione, who blushed and winked at him. He shook his head and put his arm around her, grateful that she hadn't _really _been drowning. 

At that moment, the door opened. "So, did I miss anything?" Shaylee asked, grinning. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Somewhere in a mansion in the countryside, a man was sitting with a small group, talking, and growing angry. 

"Severus Snape has betrayed us multiple times over, not to mention going back on all the ideals he once held. There is no reason to keep him alive. Yet the Dark Lord forbids us to kill him yet..." 

"We can do other things. We can hurt him other ways," one of his confidantes reminded. 

"That's true. But the Dark Lord might find out," another pointed out. 

"We're not _killing _him. That's all that he forbade." 

The man sitting behind his desk smiled slowly. "I know an indirect way that we can hurt him. We just have to hurt someone he loves." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Hmmm.... How can they hurt Sevvy... Wait and see! (Though, there are certain things that I want you to NOT think, so I'll just tell you that they are very STUPID!!!) ^_^ ::cough:: anyway.... ^_^ THANK YOU REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU!!!! Tune in sometime in the near future. Cuz you haven't seen the other side of the deal yet! ^_~ 

**Cute-Kitty**: LOL. Thanks!   
**skyleia**: LOL.. I had too much fun writing that... ^_^   
**Lizzie Malfoy1**: lol! Heehee... Don't worry; most of the kewl people are annoying sometimes! ^_^ Thanks!   
**Silbara**: Hehe. That's not the end. There's still quite a bit left. When I'm done with this fic, I'm gonna do a short sequel, then I'll work on Sweet Dreams. That one just kinda left me when I got the idea for Troubled Waters... Anywho, thanx!   
**wowsergirl**: Heehee! Here you go! I tried to get it up a little faster!   
**Kat Davi**: LOL. The thing I'm trying to portray is that she is very fickle. And she's used to thinking that she's really in love with a guy, and then it turns out it was just a little crush. However, she loves Severus so much that she doesn't want to hurt him when she realizes that it was just a little crush. The thing is, it _isn't _just a little crush. So, it's like this confusing little circle that I can't explain... ^_^   
**dracosgurl_chrissy**: Heehee... You noticed too? Sorry. I was just trying to get the little Sev/Shay conflict out, and my chapters have been short lately, so there hasn't been much Draco and Hermione stuff lately. But, there was in this chapter, so yay! ^_^   
**Meg**: Thanx! Here it is! Enjoy and thank you for reviewing!   
**Pyrope**: LOL! Thanks! That meant a lot (and it made me laugh, too!).   
**wash**: heehee! Thanks a bunch!   
**chelsea**: LOL. yep. Thanks! I read at school too... Even when I'm supposed to be researching... And then I get caught and get in trouble... Oh well... ^_^   
**Angelgirl11**: Thanks!   
**Dying_Angel1**: No! Don't die!! ::faints, Shakespearian style::   
**Static Wolf**: Wow... thanks!   
**Mystic Snow**: ^_^ Thanx a bunch!   
**magicalferret**: Heehee! Wow... Thanks bunches!   
**Lyra Silvertongue2**: Wow... Your review made me laugh, which sent me into a fit of coughing... Which made me unable to type for a few seconds! ^_^ But, anyway, thanks! ^_~   
**the counter**: OK... I'm very confused by that... If you explain what you mean, I can answer... ^_^   
**Genevieve Jones**: LOL. Heehee, no prob. And, yes, school sucks... Well, thank you for reviewing!   
**Lady Coia**: LOL... Yeah, I wrote another response about the serious side of Shaylee somewhere up there... I think it's Kat Davi's response. Anywho, sorry it's short. I can't find much time to write, and I try to update as much as possible... So, sorry, but thanks for reading!   
**Tickled Purple Monkey**: Don't worry. You aren't imagining things; it _was _unnaturally short... ^_^   
**Squish**: Sorry. I can never remember how you spell Guishy... Anywho, stop making fun of me, or I'll start reading your stuff, and pointing out every mistake you make! -_- And what's so funny about a fickle heart? Wow...   



	36. A Happy Visitor at a Sad Time

**Disclaimer**: This is what I have done since the last time I posted:   
# of times I had play practice: 18   
# of times this practice was after 7 o'clock: 3   
# of times I skipped Algebra homework: 5   
# of times I went to church with my sister: 4   
# of times I ate on campus with her afterwards: 3   
# of huge reports due in same week: 3   
# of huge reports due, total: 4   
# of English Stenos I put off: 7   
# of times I was babysitting: 6   
# of football games I had to play for band at: 3   
# of times I went to GS meetings: 2   
# of times I used the restroo- Wait.... ^_^   
Well, I'm not JK Rowling. You may have mistaken me for her as I put you through such a long wait, and that is certainly JKR behavior. However, she does not have play practice, Algebra homework, huge reports, English Stenos, football games to go to, or Girl Scouts. Nor does she have an obligation to go to church with her sister, or to babysit two other sisters.   


**AN**: I know, I know... So, I have been really busy, but I have been writing in my notebook a lot at school and play practice. The good news is also that the play's last performance just ended. So, be happy! Hopefully, I'll be able to get on the computer more. 

**WARNING**: This chapter kinda sucks... But, keep in mind that whenever I was writing it, I was either in class and supposed to be doing homework, or was at home or at play practice half-asleep. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Severus had grown accustomed to having his hair clean, and suddenly just leaving it to itself again left his hair feeling extremely gross. So, he had taken a shower, and his hair was nice and clean again. He was still being mean, but it just didn't have the same effect when his hair was clean. 

It was nearing the end of November, and was getting much colder in the castle. It seemed that Shaylee was extremely sensitive to the cold, as she wore gloves and a scarve of the colors blue and green (it was Severus' guess that those were her house colors from when she went to Beauxbatons) over her school robes. 

She walked into lunch with Scott that day. She was talking to him with a grin on her face, while rubbing her hands together, trying to create some friction. 

They reached the Gryffindor table and Scott left to sit down. Shaylee continued to the High Table. She sat down on her chair and tossed the end of her scarf over her shoulder so that it wouldn't get in her food. 

She was nibbling on a cinnamon roll when the mail came. Hundreds of different kinds of owls swooped into the Great Hall and one nondescript barn owl landed on her plate. She picked up the letter from the owl's clutches. She scoffed. "Oh yeah... Sure..." 

She opened the letter, planning to skimm through it, then toss it in the trash. She hit the first sentence, her eyes narrowed, and she went back to read it again. 

Her eyes widened and her hands began to tremble. Severus looked at her strangely as she dropped the letter as if it were something vile and disgusting. 

She cleared her throat, stood up abruptly, and walked quickly out the teacher's door. 

Severus watched after her, confused. He then turned back around and picked up the letter. 

_Ms. Weasley,_

_ We regret to inform you that your father was among the ten residents attacked upon last night as part of a violent and most disturbing assault from a group of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's Death Eaters._   
_ If you look at this morning's Daily Prophet, there will be an article describing this attack in further detail._   
_ We offer condolensces to you and your family and reassure you that the St. Mungo's staff did everything in their power to stop these criminals._   
_ Again, we are terribly sorry for your loss and we're fully prepared to provide payment for any funerals or memorial services you may wish to hold._

_ Regretfully,_   
_ Sheehan O'Conner_

_ Sheehan O'Conner,_   
_ President and Lead-Healer of_   
_ St. Mungos Hospital_

Severus squeezed his eyes shut as he realized the pain that Shaylee must be experiencing. He quickly pocketed the letter and walked out of the door to the side of the High Table. 

At first glance, the room appeared to be empty. The painting, Violet, was not in her frame. 

Then, he heard the sobbing. It was coming from a high-backed chair facing the other way. When he circled to the other side, he saw Shaylee curled up in the fetal position with an agonizing look of pain on her face. 

"Shaylee?" he asked cautiously. She didn't acknowledge him. "Shaylee?" Still nothing. "_Shaylee_!!" 

Her crying abruptly stopped and was replaced with a loud hiccup. "I'm sorry. My-" 

"You don't need to explain. You left this at the table," Severus said, not wanting to put her though the pain of telling the story. 

It didn't work, however, as she started wailing agin for no reason and fell against Severus. He patted her back awkwardly, not having much experience with grieving 26-year-olds. 

In the course of a few minutes, her crying grew quieter until she was finally just burrowed in Severus' now wet shoulder, sniffling. "Sevvy?" she asked timidly. 

"Yes?" 

"Will you teach my morning classes for me? It's just Defense. I'll do PE this afternoon." 

Severus nodded. "You didn't really have to ask." 

Shaylee smiled softly and stood up. "I'm such an idiot." 

"No, you're just confused. Go get some sleep. We'll talk about it later." 

Shaylee nodded and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Severus stood in front of the 5th year DADA class, growing aggravated from the questions they were asking. He didn't know how much, if anything, Shaylee wanted him to say, so he wasn't answering any questions. 

"Get to work, or you'll have another foot added to your essay!" he finally snapped. The class glared at him loathingly, but went back to work on their essays. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

At lunch, Severus had been sitting alone for most of the meal when he was surprised by Shaylee flopping into the chair beside him. 

"Hey," she greeted. 

He looked up. "Are you OK?" 

"Better." 

"Good. You should eat something. You didn't have much at breakfast this morning." 

"How do you know?" 

Severus' face turned slightly red. "I was watching you." 

The corners of Shaylee's mouth turned up and she picked up her fork, ready to eat. 

**_BOOM!_**

The clattering sound of the door being thrust open echoed through the hall. Every head turned to see a tall redheaded man dressed in showy robes entering the Great Hall. 

Shaylee's head snapped up and she did a double-take. 

She grinned. "FLYNN!!" She stood up and ran to give the man a hug. 

The man held his arms open and hugged her back. Shaylee leaned back and said something. He smiled, asked her something and she nodded. 

She shrugged, pulled on his hand and began tugging him towards the High Table. 

Severus watched this whole scene, very confused, and very jealous. 

As they neared the table, Shaylee frowned at something he was saying, then looked up at Severus' puzzled face. She smiled again. 

"Flynn, this is Sevvy. Sevvy, this is my brother, Flynn." 

"It's nice to meet you, Professor," Flynn said. 

Severus acknowledged him with a nod. 

Flynn looked towards his sister skeptically. She rolled her eyes at him. "Come on. You can sit up here with me." 

She led him over to her seat and conjured him up a spot right beside her, so that she was sitting in between her brother and Severus. 

"But, you were saying something about Donnelly?" 

"Yes, I talked to him this morning. The picture of a grieving son." Flynn seemed aggravated. 

Shaylee nodded. "I'd expect that." She looked at him critically. "But, I mean, weren't you a little s-..." She cut herself off. "Oh yeah... Never mind." 

Flynn nodded. "Yeah. Exactly." He sounded sarcastic. "Anyway, he said he'd take care of the memorial service." 

"What?" 

"He didn't exactly seem like he wanted our input either." 

"**What?!**" 

"Shaylee, calm down," Flynn said, touching her shoulder gently. 

Shaylee looked towards Severus, who she knew was listening, but was not looking at them. 

"I have to go talk to Flynn. I'll see you later, OK?" 

Severus nodded at her while she and Flynn left, whispering to each other. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

"So, what you're saying is that the asshole doesn't want us involved in our father's funeral..." 

"Well, I'm sure if you pushed your way into it, he'd be too worried about his reputation to actually _tell _you that." 

Shaylee sighed. "No..." She was still annoyed, but now seemed resigned. "He's the one who knows dad the best anyway..." 

"Knew," Flynn reminded her gently. 

Shaylee closed her eyes. "Yes... Knew..." She covered her mouth as she began to cry again. 

Flynn shook his head and pulled Shaylee in for a hug. "Shaylee, it'll be fine." 

"I don't know, Flynn...... It feels like..." She stopped, sniffling her nose and trying to think of a word that fit. 

"It feels like you'll never laugh again, never be happy," Flynn conceded. "Yeah. It's a terrible feeling." 

Flynn shook his head. "Shaylee, every single person who knows you thinks of you as a fun-loving, slightly crazy person." Shaylee smiled weakly. "You _will _laugh again." 

There was silence as Shaylee gave her brother a thankful hug and pulled away. 

"Now, girl, we have _got _to talk about your taste in guys." 

Shaylee smiled up at him. "Isn't he cute?" 

Flynn coughed. "Well..." 

Shaylee slapped his arm indignantly. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"A bit serious for your tastes, isn't he?" 

Shaylee glared at him. "So, what wrong wi--... Wait... You don't _like_ him, do you?" She paused, then shook her head. "Never mind." 

Flynn laughed. "Ha! I almost had you with that!" 

"Jerk..." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

I laughed at your reviews... Everyone seemed to think I was gonna kill _Shaylee_. Wow.... Paranoid... Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and certain death threats I got... Hehe... ^_^ I really am sorry. But, just keep in mind that I surrendered the A Honor Roll for you guys. There were a couple of times I wrote instead of doing Algebra homework. Then, I got an 89.1% in Algebra... Poo, that made me mad... Grr.... Oh well, I should be able to live not being in the top 3.... Thanks again to reviewers and sorry about the wait!! Ok, it is freezing in my house, so I'm wearing gloves while typing these. Please excuse any typos. 

**Princess Brittny: **Illegal space chickens.... Wow... ^_^ Ah, yes, there have been many times when my family thinks I'm nuts because I'm laughing at a fic.... Once my mom thought I was having an asthma attack... And I don't even have asthma.... Quite paranoid, that woman... ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!   
**LE: **Hehe... How long has it been now? I'm really sorry about the wait, but your review made me at least get my butt in gear, cuz U made me feel guilty. ^_^   
**x.Green.x: **LOL... Another psychotic one... Naw, I'm just kidding! Crazy people are fun! ^_^   
**Kaleigh aka Narwa: **Well, if you're talking to yourself, it didn't matter anyway, because I could read what was written NEway... ^_^ And thanks for that little tidbit of info! I'm now not going as insane as I was headed! ^_^ But, since I already made Blaise a boy... He'll stay that way for this fic... Don't want to make any controversy over that... (heehee)   
**Heather Malfoy: **LOL. Hehe, thanks. I'm glad someone understood! ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! And, LOL, for your other review too... Yes, congrats on the hug... ^_~   
**Lizzie Malfoy1: **Um... Eventually, everyone will die. Please tell me that you get that, and don't think that I just said I'm gonna kill every character... I get that a lot... ^_^   
**ShadowRogue: **LOL. Thanks! And thanks for reviewing, too!   
**MoongirlCeridwen: **Heehee! Yay! ^_^   
**Silbara: **Sorry about that. And, don't worry about there not being a happy ending. I mean, almost every fanfic/story/book has a happy ending. And the ones that don't are written by either sad people, depressed people, or people who just like writing sad, depressed things, to make the readers sad and depressed, so we can have more sad and depressing fanfics/stories/books out there. And, I'm not sad, nor depressed! LOL, I really should go now.... ::Goes off to a corner and starts sharpening knife:: Oh, did I mention that crazy people are likely to do that also? ^_^   
**Loretta Weasley: **Hehe... Sorry 'bout that.   
**redwicca: **The sequel to this fic will have them in it also. So, don't worry about them!   
**Natalie Garner: **Heheee.. Yeah, everyone likes that picture... ^_^   
**Tickled Purple Monkey: **LOL.... That's something to think about... ^_^   
**Spunx182: **Well... Do you mean in a romantic sense or a friendly sense? Hmmm.... Let me think.... LOL, I'm just kidding! Just trying to torture you! ^_^   
**Dracos-Mistress06: **LOL... Wow, that's scary...   
**Pyrope: **Heehee, of course I made him degreasify!! ^_^   
**Davie Ni: **Heehee... Oh well is right... ^_^ Sorry about the wait...   
**miranda rae: **LOL... Shaylee lives for now... Thanks for your funny review! ^_^   
**Jared +Nicole: **Heehee. Thanks a bunch.   
**Draco-Malfoy-Severus-Luva: **LOL. Thnks. It's good to know that some1 else is having overload probs as well... Thanks for reviewing!   
**Malfoyeress: **LOL. When I come across some time, I'll go read your fic and leave some pointers in a review. No one really thinks their stuff is any good. I know mine isn't up to my potential. But, anyway, thank you for reviewing!   
**Mystic Snow: **Hehe. You'll hafta wait and see!   
**Svenisbest: **Don't worry, sometime in this fic... ::static due to keyboard probs:: ... end. But, I hope that doesn't matter and you keep reading! ^_^ LOL, sorry... Thanks for R/R... ing... ^_^   
**Sarah: **That's OK. We can't all agree every time. Thanks for reviewing!   
**Crazy Courtney: **OK, sorry about the long wait. Hehe. And, if I ever need help or a reader's opinion, I'll email U. Thanks!   
**dracosgurl_chrissy: **Heehee... Nothing extremely terrible is going to happen to Shay. At least I'm not planning anything to. ^_^ Thanks for reading and reviewing!   
**Static Wolf: **LOL... Don't worry; I'm a strong believer in happy endings! ^_^   
**Faith: **Thanks, and I'll do that!   
**Svenisbest: **lol. Thanks bunches!   
**Sarah: **LOL. Thanks for the compliment, and thank you for reviewing.   
**lavender baby: **^_^ Thank you!   
**Lady Coia: **Heehee! Thanks! ^_~   
**Genevieve Jones: **Don't worry. They'll all be happy sooner or later... ^_^   
**Melinda: **Um.... I'm sorry, is she dead? ^_^   
**chelsea: **Ah yes... I read while I'm supposed to be babysitting all the time... Thanks, also. I swear I'm alive, really! ^_~   
**skyleia: **LOL. Yes, that was very fun to write... ^_^ That's very true... I guess she's been hanging around Draco too long.   
**emster: **Hehe. OK, deal. I'm still writing really, just not typing as often... Hehe... Stupid homework. And thanks so much! ^_^   
**Meg: **You've got the Hermione thing right, yes. But the thing with Shaylee was that he was trying to mentally hurt her. But, after the next chapter, that might change. Oh, crap.... I did not just say that. Oh well, you still hafta figure out what it means... ^_^   
**Kat Davi: **LOL... I hate it when that happens to me (about the guys). But, you weren't exactly correct on the Shaylee thing. Sorry. I mentioned that it seemed worse than what I'd make it... ^_^   
**ChickFlick004: **HA! Yes! That was where I got the idea for that scene! I love that movie... ^_^ And, Shaylee can't really help it... She's trying to be nice, it just isn't working.... ^_^   
**Dying Angel1: **Good thing it was a joke, or I'd be dead now! ^_^ And, sorry... No torturing yet... ^_~   
**Lyra Silvertongue2: **LOL. Yes... It was slightly mean, now that I think about it... ::shrugs:: Oh well.... ^_^   
**Sapphire Raine: **Yep. The 'kinda' is the keyword tho... ^_^   
**wowsergirl: **OK, I guess this part really confused a lot of people... But, Draco and Blaise had their little talk that was mentioned in the locker room. I didn't put it in the fic, just implied that they had had it when they walked out of the locker room together. Sorry if that confused you along with everyone else... ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!   
**BellethePhilosopher'sCookie: **LOL... Good point... ::starts salivating::   



	37. Nice to Meet You

Disclaimer: I can't think of a good disclaimer. It's too bad I have to write one. JK Rowling doesn't have to write disclaimers. Why, you ask? Well, she owns the characters and just about everything that can be owned. Why do I have to write a disclaimer? _Because I don't own anything!!!_

AN: I would have actually gotten it up sooner, if my mouse hadn't stopped working. My space bar is still being temperamental, but I'm trying to go back and fix those mistakes. Please excuse me if there are any I missed. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee was talking to Flynn at the High Table when she saw Severus walk in and make a beeline for Draco and Hermione. "Oh, no he won't..." Shaylee said, standing up and keeping her eyes on him. She tugged on Flynn's arm. "Come on, we're going on a field trip." 

"Er... OK?" Flynn said as he allowed himself to be dragged to catch up with Professor Snape. 

Severus looked at Shaylee immediately. "No." 

"But Sevvy!" 

"No. That ass will be delighted to torment you after what happened." 

"But Flynn has never met a rich asshole before. You don't want him to miss out on that! He needs to meet Lucius!" 

"Actually I--" Shaylee clamped a hand over her brother's mouth while grinning innocently at Severus. 

He groaned. "OK, Flynn may come. But, you're staying right here, Shaylee." 

"But nothing's ever happened before." 

"Well, that's because I was with you." 

"Woah, wait! Is this guy violent?" Flynn asked, stopping their argument. 

Shaylee shrugged her shoulders, trying to minimize the situation, while Severus nodded. "Very much so." 

"You're staying right here, Shay." 

Shaylee's mouth fell open. "WHAT?!" 

"You're staying right here. You're my only decent sibling, and I want to keep you." 

"You can't tell me what to do!" Shaylee challenged. 

"Oh yes I can! As your older brother, I will not let you knowingly go into danger like that!" 

"But... But..." Shaylee sputtered. 

"No," both Severus and Flynn said together. 

She snuck a glance at the Gryffindor table. "Well, too bad he's already gone..." 

"What?!" Severus whipped around to see Hermione talking to Harry, Ron and Scott across from an empty seat that Draco had been sitting in just seconds before. 

"Oh, shit..." Without another word, he ran off. 

Shaylee grinned at Flynn expectantly. "Well, come on!" She grabbed her brother's hand and followed Snape's path. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco walked in the Common Room and, without a word to his father, sat down on a chair. 

"Hello, father," he finally said cooly. 

"Good morning, Draco," Lucius responded. 

"You wished to see me?" 

"Yes. The Dark Lord is getting restless. We need to carry out the last part of the plan. 

Draco's heart started beating faster. This was it. 

"And that would be?" 

"Invite the Mudblood to Christmas at the Manor. We'll get her in the Lord's Den after New Years when she feels comfortable there. That's when we'll hand her over." 

Repulsion pulsed through Draco as he heard his father's evilness. 

"There are a couple of holes," Draco commented lightly, not wanting his father to blow up. "Oh, really?" 

"Yes. How exactly am I supposed to convince her to come with me when she knows how much against her kind you are?" 

If it was possible for Lucius to roll his eyes, that would be what he was doing. "For Merlin's sake, boy! You're smart. Figure something out. Say I had a change of heart. Say I'm letting her visit because you're 'madly in love'. Say I'm not going to be home for Christmas. I'll even stay in my wing of the manor the whole time. _I don't care_! Just figure something out!" 

"OK..." Draco racked his brain for another question that could stop his father's plan for his vacation. 

"So, afterwards, she will obviously not be coming back to school with me. What will I tell everyone?" 

Lucius grinned devilishly. Evidently, he had already thought of that. 

"Ah, yes... She was kidnapped by unknown villians when you two were walking outside of the grounds one day," he said simply. 

Draco raised his eyebrows at this. His father was usually much better at coming up with stories like this. 

"You," his father continued, with a sinister grin on his face, "were visibly hurt trying to protect her." 

"Ah..." Draco understood now. He'd be beaten before coming back to Hogwarts, giving the appearance that he'd been through a bad fight. 

"Well, if that is all, I should be going. No doubt, the idiots supposed to be keeping an eye on you will be here soon." Lucius stood up. "Have a good day, Draco." 

Draco nodded and his father abruptly turned to walk out the door. As soon as Lucius was out the door, Draco fell down on the couch, his eyes closed. He couldn't let this happen to Hermione. He had to think of something. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee stopped abruptly as she ran into a halted Severus, pulling Flynn into the pile-up. 

She peeked around Severus' shoulder to see why he was standing still, and saw Lucius Malfoy. 

Lucius chuckled. 

"I must say that I am not impressed with your poor attempts at supervising my son. Surely you do not let the rest of your students escape your management, as Draco does?" 

Shaylee stood up to her full height and stepped out from behind Severus. "Good morning, Lucius," she said, grinning smoothly.   
  
The smirk on Lucius' face faded slightly as he noticed the smile on Shaylee's. His cocky air returned to him as he laid eyes upon Flynn. 

"Oh... I assume you're Ms. Weasley's brother, here to console her in these hard times..." 

Severus stepped in front of the two Weasley's. "Go stick you head up your arse, Malfoy," he said dangerously, fingering his wand. 

Lucius smirked. "How trivial, Severus." 

"Sevvy, I can handle this," Shaylee said, stepping out from behind him once again. 

A corner of Lucius' mouth turned up. "So there are pet names now? How... cute." Severus glared daggers at him and was about to say something when Lucius turned back to Flynn. 

"I've heard about you by the way. Your father and you didn't get along very well, did you?" 

Flynn didn't say anything, though there was a look on his face that showed that he knew what was coming and had heard it many times before. 

Lucius got closer to him. "Yes, he was _very _disappointed in you..." There was a cruel look on his face, but Flynn just looked at him straight in the eyes, silently. He looked exasperated, as if he had grown tired of hearing the exact same criticism every time. 

"Personally, I agree with him. You're completely disgus--" Without any warning, Shaylee's wand was pointed in his face. 

Shaylee shuddered slightly as Lucius looked straight in her eyes coldly. He stepped forward so that he was right beside her and only she could hear him. "Protective, aren't we? Too bad you weren't there for your father when he needed you." 

Lucius looked up at Severus then. "You're getting a little too confident, Snape. I'd watch my back if I were you." 

Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the hallway. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco sat in the Library, waiting for Hermione. He had asked her to meet him there after classes ended. He had to talk to her about his father's plan and what they were going to do about it. 

A bookbag was tossed on the chair at his table and he looked up to see Hermione sitting down across from him. "Hey, Draco," she greeted, then paused, noticing the worried look on his face. "Draco?... Is everything OK? What's wrong?" 

Draco sighed, then began to tell her everything that had occured that morning with his father. When he finished, there was a troubled look on her face. 

"So," she started hesitantly, her voice shaking slightly. "So, he would just beat you like that? Just so people would believe something he said? Just to please his master?" Her voice was getting louder. "What kind of father would do that?" 

They were starting to draw curious glances from other tables. Draco reached across the table for her hand. "Hermione... Shh..." he said reassuringly. "Don't worry about it... It's not that big of a deal..." 

Hermione looked away momentarily to wipe her eyes, then looked back at him. "Has he ever done that to you?" Draco's silence answered her for him. "This is ridiculous. He's never going to hurt you like that ever again. I'm going to your house for Christmas, and we're going to think of a plan to end this." 

Draco looked into Hermione's eyes, expecting to see sadness and pity. He saw these, but he also saw love. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Awww... How sweet... and.... corny. ^_^ R/R please. I'll try to get started on the next chapter before the weekend ends, so that it won't take too long for it to come up. Thanks to my lovely reviewers! R/R!!! 

**Crazy Courtney: **LOL. How exactly did you take it? Cuz if you say that you took it the wrong way, you may have taken it the way I meant it to be taken... ^_^ I dunno tho..   
**xXxEmeraldxXx: **Thanks!   
**Heather Malfoy: **Heehee! Thanks for being nice! ^_^   
**black night: **lol. I'll take that as a compliment.   
**Guishi (36): **LOL... Meanie   
**Guishi (35): **I'm not gonna do that! ^_^   
**Cute-Kitty: **Hehe! Understood.   
**Genevieve Jones: **LOL. OK, I'll keep him. Well, that is to say... I won't kill him. ^_^   
**Draco-Malfoy-Severus- Luva: **OK, remember in one of the chapters at the Ball when Shay was talking about her 2 older brothers? Well, I'm making the oldest brother out to be a total jerk. He's taking control of all the funeral arrangements and stuff. That's basically what's happening... Flynn just came to see Shaylee after he heard about their dad.   
**redwicca: **There are only actually a couple of main points left in this fic, basically. If Shaylee dated someone else, it's be Scott, which is why Sevvy doesn't like it when they talk at all. And, I'll definitely tell you when I come out with the sequel.   
**Mystic Snow: **What exactly are you confused on? Is Donnelly the person you're talking about? Cuz he's Shaylee's and Flynn's older brother. It says that a bit before they talk about the memorial service.   
**x0xbabyx0x4u2c: **Sorry if I took a long time. ^_^   
**Silbara: **LOL... Wow... I thought _I_ was crazy... Yeah, that's OK... I'm sure you liked it if you stared at it that long... ^_^   
**Chance: **LOL... Actually, I already had a hunch that that'd be the case... I just didn't know what kinds of tactics would be used if he was under the water for that amount of time. Thanks tho! ^_^   
**Kelli Granger: **Thanks bunches!   
**Samantha-Carlyn: **LOL. Thanks a lot! Hehe, I know. I love square dancing!   
**starlover11: **^_^ Thanks!   
**Spunx182: **LOL... Well, it's a word... But not in the way you mean... ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!   
**AdGe: **Thanks a bunch. I try! ^_~   
**Cherry Blossom Rachel Granger: **Wow... Someone said something good about my cliffies... ^_^   
**LE: **^_^ Heehee!!! Yay! ^_~ Thanks!   
**crazyone17: **What kind of evil person would I be if I told you that? ^_^ Hehe. I'll try to put more in, tho my major book reference is Phantom of the Opera, for reasons revealed later... ^_^   
**Theoretically Insane: **LOL. That's OK. Hehe... My grade in Algebra is going up slightly, so I should be OK soon. ^_^   
**Meg: **You'll have to wait and see! Sorry! ^_~ Thanks for reviewing!   
**Kat Davi: **Oooooo... I hate it when that happens, except for I usually forgetit at home, so I'm mad when I can't write instead of doing homework.... ^_^ Oh yes... Insane people are awesome. Everyone thinks that my friends and I need a psychiatrist... My best friend and I almost got sent to the counselor for "help" once... Hehe... ^_~ Thanks for reviewing!   
**Lizzie Malfoy: **LOL... What I meant is that everyone will eventually die... I mean, I'll eventually die. So will you. And, even though it isn't entirely real, so will Hermione and Harry, and everyone else. ^_^ Hehe. Sorry I confused you! ^_^   
**tomzgurl77: **Ooooo... I might make it appear angsty at times, but I won't actually make it too bad... ^_^ Thanks for reading!   
**x.Green.x: **LOL. Thanks! ^_~ Poor Sevvy... I think he has a jealousy complex... ^_^   
**foodiholic: **Heehee! Ooops. Sorry.... ^_^ Well, just in case... I'll tell my sister to make sure everyone finds out if I _actually _die... ^_^   
**kaleigh aka Narwa: **LOL. Yeah, you told me. You sound extremely hyper... Almost scary, really. Oooo! I wanna be hyper too!! Sounds like fun!!! ^_^ Thanks for reading!   
**Lyra Silvertongue2: **^_^ Thanks so much! I tried to make that scene go well... ^_^ Thanks for reading and reviewing!   
**emster: **Ahhh.... The power of vacations.... ^_^ I get a lot more time to write then! Even though my evil Algebra teacher still gives me homework... Grrrrrr...   
**Fantasy Is My Life 1: **MUAAHAHAHA!! Hehe... Sorry... I was actually going for that... ^_^ Oh, and yes, Marching Band just ended, however, now I have Pep Band. This is because I live in Indiana, where people are obsessed with Basketball... Grrr... Stupid Hoosiers. 


	38. More Planning

Disclaimer: OK, one of my favorite shows is Joan of Arcadia. Whenever I am not at home, I force my sister to tape it for me, and she does the same to me when she is not there. So, whenever we tape an episode, we always watch it over and over, and ooooveeer again. One of my habits is to play the previews for the next week at least a dozen (usually more) times, until I have noticed every single detail. Soooo, when I was going throughout the house a few Fridays ago, screaming about something I noticed, my mother had thoughts about sending me to a psychiatric ward. (I just hope she wasn't serious ^_~) I finally made my sister watch it (wishing I could find the remote for slow motion) a few more times, then she joined me in running around the house, screaming with joy. (Hehe, long story... We _had_ a hunch about something...) Then, my mother wondered (out loud) if padded cells came in double sizes... ^_^ Needless to say, I dunno if JK Rowling watches the same TV shows I do, and if she did, I doubt she would be so excited from having a hunch that Adam might finally talk to Joan. Then, there's also the fact that no one would ever send her to an insane asylum, because she's obviously on the "genius" side of the line. ^_^ (PS: Our hunch didn't happen... It was an improvement tho...) 

AN: There are major references to Phantom of the Opera in this chapter. If you have not read it and don't own the book, you can read it for free at 

READ THIS!: OK, if any of you might recall, a looooong time ago, I asked for help on Shay's accent. Someone finally mentioned it, and so, when I was bored and had nothing to do, I looked for a dictionary of Irish slang words. So, if you happen to see some things you don't quite understand, I'm using them in context, and you should probably be able to figure it out. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee was on the floor in her office, wearing her normal pajamas, though this time with a green and blue knitted sock cap on her head and her scarf around her neck. She looked freezing. 

She was looking at the cover of The Phantom of the Opera. She didn't want to start reading it again without Severus there. She already knew what was going to happen, but didn't want to get ahead of him still. 

At that moment, the fire turned green and Snape's voice filled the room. "Shaylee? Are you in there?" 

"Yeah. Come on in," Shaylee greeted, sitting up. Severus stepped through the fire, and immediately sat down on the bean bag chair. Shaylee invited herself to come over and sit on his lap, beginning to cuddle, trying to steal a little bit of his warmth. 

"We're going to get through chapter 14 tonight, Sevvy," she told him, indicating the book. Severus sighed. "Aren't we only just starting chapter 9?" Shaylee rolled her eyes and opened the book. Severus sighed again but didn't object any more, which Shaylee took as a sign that he was starting to appreciate the Muggle novel. 

They were reading the part where Raoul met Christine at the masquerade, when Severus broke the silence. "He's an idiot," he muttered simply. Shaylee looked back and glared at him. "Why do you say that?" she asked indignantly. 

"Well, firstly, why's he following her? Doesn't he care about his own life at _all_? And, secondly, that man is quite obviously Erik..." Shaylee glared at him again, then muttered, "Lucky guess." 

Severus rolled his eyes. "No. Raoul is just really stupid." 

"He's a bloody Muggle! What do you expect?!" Shaylee finally scolded. Severus shrugged. "Good point." They went back to reading. 

There were a few more times when Severus groaned at romantic parts, but it went without actual comment until Christine was going through the mirror. "I know! The Phantom is a wizard, isn't he?!" Shaylee sighed and rolled her eyes. "You eejit! Do I have to remind you that it's Muggle literature?" That silenced him. 

They read the next few chapters in silence like that, until they reached chapter 14 and Severus finally said, "What in bloody hell is a safety pin?" 

Shaylee paused, then giggled as she noticed the part he was talking about. "It's a small device that Muggles use to pin things together." 

Severus nodded, though he didn't really look as if he understood. 

It was only moments later when he said, "Gabriel's sense of humor reminds me of you." 

Shaylee grinned. "Thank you. I'd tell you who reminds me of you, but I'll wait until the end of the book to do that." 

"Why?" Severus asked curiously. There was only a small, mischievous smile on Shaylee's faee. "You'll see," was her answer. 

Severus shrugged, then went back to reading. As soon as they reached the end of the 14th chapter, Shaylee snapped the book shut. 

"Hey!" Severus protested. Shaylee giggled. "It's getting late, Sevvy. We have classes tomorrow." 

She stood up and headed towards the door that lead to her room and bathroom. "Good night! And I'm taking the book with me so that you can't read without me!" She stuck her tongue out at him, then smiled and closed the door behind her. 

He shook his head and decided to go back to his quarters. She was right; he needed some sleep. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco was sitting at the Gryffindor table at breakfast the next morning, as usual. He was talking to Hermione about their plan. 

"I don't know..." Hermione said. "There are so many holes in that. We would undoubtedly need back-up if we were to go with that plan." 

Draco sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "But, we can't d-" He had looked up at her and saw Scott talking to Harry by the door. "Wait a second..." 

Hermione looked intrigued, wondering what was going through her boyfriend's head. 

"That's it! We can do that, if we can get other people in on it with us!" 

Hermione's face went considerably downcast. "Draco, do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" 

"No one knows as well as I do, Hermione." He grinned. "However, I also know that P-Harry won't ever turn down a chance to get rid of the evil asshole. And Ron will undoubtedly follow him." 

Hermione glared at him. "Notice that all of those are my friends?" 

Draco shrugged. "I don't really have any left... I mean, we're obviously gonna ask Scott, right? But, I don't think Blaise would want in on it. His father's-" He paused. "Never mind. But, what I'm saying is that we could do this!" 

Hermione sighed, then stopped to think about it as Draco started in on his breakfast, waiting for her decision. She seemed to be debating with herself. 

Finally, she relented. "Okay, but we really should have some adults with us... We're not really experienced enough to face a hundred Death Eaters." 

Draco was about to say that there were usually only about fifty Death Eaters at one meeting, but then stopped as his gaze met two caffeine consuming individuals sitting at the High Table. 

He grinned. "Give me time, and I'll see what I can do." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee groaned as she sipped at her coffee, holding the cup with both hands to warm them. "Soo... Tired..." 

"You really shouldn't stay up that late," Severus chided her. 

Shaylee glared at him. "Sevvy, you were the one who wanted to stay up later. If it weren't for my wise decision to go to sleep, you'd probably still be in bed right now." 

Severus rolled his eyes. "Since when do you make wise decisions?" 

Shaylee opened her mouth to respond, then thought better of it, taking a drink of coffee instead. "Whatever," she answered briefly and started to look around the Hall for her brother. 

She turned to Severus. "Do you know where Flynn is? I haven't seen him this morning." Severus was just shaking his head when the morning mail flew through the rafters. Shaylee shrugged. "Well, wherever he is, he should be OK," she said as she picked up a letter that an owl had tossed on her plate and opened it. 

As she scanned through the letter, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, for Merlin's sake... The bollock..." She sighed as she finished and set the letter down. 

"What was that?" asked Severus, who had set his coffee down. 

"It's from my oldest brother Donnelly. My dad's memorial service is Saturday afternoon." She sighed, exasperated, as she ran her fingers through her hair. 

Severus was silent, not knowing exactly what to say. "Are you going to be able to make it through it?" he finally asked. 

Shaylee sighed again. "Without eating his head off? I'm not quite sure..." 

The corner of Severus' mouth turned up. "That's not what I meant, but there's that too." 

Shaylee smiled too, and was silent for a few moments, then said quietly, "I don't know... I was actually getting over it, Sev... And then I hafta go to Da's service..." 

Severus made himself say what they were both thinking. "Nobody is forcing you to go..." 

Shaylee nodded. "I know, it doesn't seem like it, does it? But Donnelly really is. I don't want to know what kinds of things he'll say about me if I don't show up..." 

She shook her head, thinking about her brother. "Plus, I should go anyway. I really _do _want to. I just don't want to see my brother." There was a comfortable silence between the two as she thought. Suddenly, she looked up at him. "Go with me." 

"What?" Severus wasn't quite sure he had heard her. 

"Come to the service with me. I don't want to go by myself. I don't think I can put up with Donn's guff by myself. And Flynn won't be any help. He'll be hiding somewhere, getting plastered off the walls..." She smiled fondly at this thought. "Or maybe I'll just stick around with him..." 

"Shaylee," Severus said warningly. "What did I tell you about getting drunk?" 

Shaylee grinned. "I was just kidding, Sevvy. Plus, you have nothing to worry about! I'm Irish! I can handle it!" She winked at him. 

Severus shook her head, knowing that this was always going to be her defense. 

"Anyway, will you please come? I really don't want to face my family alone." 

Severus sighed. "If it's that important to you, I'll go. But I don't see how I'll make it any better..." 

Shaylee's grin grew at this. "Oh, you'll see, Sevvy. You'll _definitely _get along with my family." She tugged on her hat as she went into her own little world and laughed to herself. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Hermione sat across from Draco at a table in the back of the library. It had become too cold in the castle to swim without risk of illness, so Professor Weasley had closed the pool for the Winter. 

The two had to come up with a new spot to meet, and in a hurry to get somewhere to discuss their plan, decided on a back table in the library. 

"So, the way that you're talking about the layout of the Manor, we would have virtually no access to that area before you take me there," Hermione clarified, deep in thought. 

"Not virtually. We'll have literally no access," Draco corrected her. 

"Well, then, we're going to have to have blueprints of the area, if we're going to do this right," Hermione thought out loud. 

"I can do that. But, when are we going to get our back-up?" 

Hermione paused. "Let's try to talk to our friends tomorrow. I still think we need someone with a bit more experience too, though." Draco smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm taking care of that." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Unfortunately, I'm gonna stop writing review responses until after Christmas, because I want to get the Christmas part out at the correct time of the year. However, after the main Christmas part is out, I'll resume the responses as usual. Thanks all of my reviewers! I love you all!! 


	39. In love, or not in love? That's the ques...

Disclaimer: One of these days, after I get out of the "fanfiction phase", I am going to start writing original books that will make me a BILLION KADRILLION DOLLARS!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!! *lightning strikes in the background* Then, maybe I will have all sorts of fanfics written about my work. _Then _I'll go back into the "fanfiction phase" and write fanfics about my own books. HEEHEHEHEHEEEE! And.... *laughs so hard, starts gasping for air* _I won't write a disclaimer_! HAHAHAHAH!!!!! And people will try to sue me, but it won't work!!! Cuz IT BELONGS TO ME! ALL OF IT!! HAHAHAHAAAA! ... ... Ahem.... Unfortunately, this is about Harry Potter, which I don't own... So... Yeah....   


~*~*~**~*~*~ 

It was time for the 5th years to have PE, and Shaylee was waiting in the room, not tardy for once, huddled in a downy coat instead of her usual robes. She had used her strange logic to see that dressing in her school robes was being disrespectful to the rest of the faculty, because if she froze to death, they would have to find a new teacher. 

Her cousin walked in the room with Harry. Hermione and Draco were close behind, talking with their heads huddled together. Ron laughed when he saw her. "Not used to the weather, Shay?" 

Shaylee glared at him and sniffed indignantly. "Does the term 'South France' mean anything to you? It's warmer there than it is here. Besides, my dad always took us someplace warm for the holliers*. I didn't exactly spend that much time in cold weather." 

Ron rolled his eyes. "Nice excuses, Shay. What are we doing today?" 

Shaylee chuckled bitterly. "Oh, you'll see... It's ironic how I'm the teacher, yet I can't change the class schedule because of the weather..." 

Hermione looked at Draco apprehensively. "I take it we're doing something outside, then..." 

Draco shrugged. He appeared to be deep in thought. "Draco? Are you listening to me?" 

Draco came out of his "trance" and smiled at Hermione. "Yeah, sorry, Hermione. I was just thinking about when we should ask-" Hermione shushed him. "Just wait, Draco." 

"OK, everyone! Sit down!" Shaylee said as she leaned against the now closed door. 

"Today, we're going to go outside-" She narrowed her eyes. "-and ice skate on the lake. Please don't break the ice or get hurt, because I will be too cold to save you and you'll be out of luck." 

Her students just looked at her blankly. She sighed. "Don't worry. The ice is frozen. Just get out there." 

They walked down to he entrance hall, chatting with their friends on the way. Shaylee led them outside to the lake. 

"OK, guys! Listen!" she called, pulling her arms out of the sleeves and into her coat for warmth. "In a minute, you'll have ice skates on, but first, you need to understand my rules." 

She waited until they were silent, then started again. "This is the only part of the lake you can skate on. The squid has already claimed the eastern end for itself." 

She told them the rest of the rules, then pulled her arm out so that she could transfigure their shoes into skates. She did so, then watched as they skated off onto the ice, trying to stifle her laughter at those who were tentatively stepping out onto the iceso that they wouldn't fall. 

There was a sudden gust of wind that caused Shaylee to pull her arms back into her coat. After she was safely bundled up again, she turned her gaze back to her class. 

Hermione was skating backwards, pulling Harry along, trying to get him to skate. Draco and Ron were skating on either side of them, laughing at Harry's attempts. 

"Oh, honestly, you two! It's not as if Harry ever had the chance to go to a public skating rink!" Hermione chided them. 

"Neither have I," Draco claimed, grinning at her cockily. "My mother has her own skating rink in our backyard. She taught me." With that, he went into a sophisticated, though truthfully simple, twirl. 

Harry glared at Draco while Hermione muttered darkly, "Show off..." Ron chuckled at this and Draco grinned. 

"No, actually, that's the only halfway interesting thing I can do. I was just trying to-" He paused, trying to think of a word. "Show off," Ron finished for him. They both laughed as Draco admitted that this was true. 

Shaylee shook her head and laughed. Who would have ever thought that Ron and Draco would ever be joking around with each other?   


After they were done ice skating and it was time for them to make their way back to the castle, the 5th years skated off of the ice to be transfigured back into their shoes. Harry had been successful so far in skating back without falling, while Draco was listening to Ron's description of the pond in _his _backyard where he learned to ice skate. They were getting along well, though the sight of them talking was scaring a few of their classmates. 

They were just reaching the edge of the lake when Draco looked at Ron conspiringly (AN: It turns out it isn't a word, but you know what I mean, right?). Ron grinned as he saw what Draco was "saying". He nodded, and on the count of three, the two whizzed right past Harry, making him falter and fall right on his face, which was, luckily, in the area to fall on the snow. 

Both Ron and Draco laughed as they saw Harry laying face-down in the snow, looking up at them accusingly. "Funny, guys..." 

The two skated back up to him peacfully and offered their hands to help him up. He took their hands, stood up carefully, then tore away from them quickly, causing them to fall down on the ice, leaving all of them laughing. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee walked through the dungeons towards Severus' classroom. She had just come in from outside, and her cheeks were still red, and she was still keeping her arms inside her coat. She turned the corner and saw Scott coming out of the classroom, talking quietly with Fred, George and Lee. 

"Hey! If it isn't my four favorite 7th Year male Gryffindors!" Shaylee greeted. 

Fred jumped, but George looked up smoothly and merely commented, "We're the only 7th year male Gryffindors." 

Shaylee shrugged. "Well, that's beside the point. I'll see you guys later, I guess." 

She took a few more steps towards the Potions classroom when Scott said, "Hey Shay, now I feel left out. Not a single word to me." 

Shaylee giggled and turned around to him. "Aw, poor ittle Scotty... Are you jealous now?" 

Scott grinned. "You caught me! I just can't bear to have my Shay go talk to other guys..." He put his arm on his forehead, acting melodramatic. 

Shaylee smiled back at him. "_Your _Shay? And how do you know I'm going to talk to someone?" 

Scott chuckled as Fred and George turned away to hide their mocking smiles. "Well, never mind that. But, I believe that that someone heard your voice flirting in the hallway and came to investigate." 

Shaylee turned around and saw Severus standing in the door to his classroom. She smiled at him tentatively, then turned back to Scott. "Jerk. You let me sound like a flirt." 

Scott almost couldn't keep himself from laughing. "But, you are one, Shay!" 

She narrowed her eyes at him, though couldn't help a small smile. "Stop twistin' hay+, Scott. I'll see you later." 

He grinned at her as she turned around and walked into the Potions room and sat in a desk in the front row. 

"Hey Sevvy," she finally greeted as she got situated. 

"Hello," Severus greeted coolly as he also sat down at his desk. "Did you want something?" 

Shaylee glared at him as she stood up. "Severus Snape! Is there a problem? I understand jealousy, but what in the world is this?" 

There was silence as Severus looked at her for a few seconds. He stood up abruptly, muttered something, and breezed out of the room. Shaylee just sat there and put her head down on the desk. It wasn't supposed to be that way, she thought. He wasn't supposed to fall in love... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee jumped as she walked into her office that night to see Severus sitting on the beanbag, calmly reading. She couldn't help but laugh. "You have no idea how stupid you look." 

He looked up at her briefly. "Likewise." He seemed to have either forgotten about that afternoon, or was choosing to ignore it. She rolled her eyes at his comment. "Thanks. Hey!" she said, as she noticed what he was doing. "Why are you reading ahead?" 

"I felt like it. You've already read it anyway." 

Shaylee shrugged and sat down on the floor next to him. "What part are you at?" 

"Chapter 17," Severus answered shortly, barely glancing up at her before going back to the book. 

Shaylee laughed. "The safety pin... Again..." 

"Exactly..." Severus paused, then closed the book. "Am I going to be clobbered by your family tomorrow?" 

Shaylee grinned. "Not physically, no. Possibly mentally." 

"Lovely." 

"No worries!" Shaylee reassured. "Just stay around me and I'll make sure no one bites you!" 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

There was a knock on the portrait hole door in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione jumped up and ran to it expectantly while Harry and Ron looked after her, confused. 

She opened it and looked outside cautiously. When she saw who was there, she smiled. "Come on in." 

When the portrait hole opened the entire way, Draco stepped in. Harry and Ron didn't really look like they minded, but they were looking around at their house-mates to see their reaction. It wasn't very pleasant. There were people in huddles, whispering quietly and shooting violent glances at him and Hermione. 

"Hey," Ron greeted him as Harry eyed the surrounding people warningly. "You might want to sit in the middle so that you don't get murdered," he offered. 

Harry nodded as Draco and Hermoine wedged themselves on the couch between Harry and Ron. 

Harry leaned over. "Hermione? Do you mind telling us why there is a Slytherin in the Common Room?" 

Hermione looked at him strangely. 

"I don't mind, but... I'd rather not be pummeled by other Gryffindors, really," he amended. 

"Don't worry. He'll be out of here in a few minutes. We just need to speak you to guys and Scott. Where is he by the way?" 

"Present," came the voice from behind them. 

They turned around to see Scott leaning against the back of the couch and looking at them. He vaulted over so that he was sitting between Draco and Ron, causing the fit on the couch to be a very tight squeeze. 

"I was wondering what the upset was, and I came over to see that it's only my man Draco joining us for a little get-together," Scott said, purposely going back to his normal American way of speaking, rather than talk in his adopted English slang. Hermione glared at him softly. "Scott, shut it. This isn't a friendly get together. We need to talk to you guys." 

There was a pause as the three other Gryffindors looked at each other, puzzled. "O...K..." Ron finally said. 

"I've told you both-- and Scott already knew-- that Draco's father was just trying to get to me through him..." Hermione started. Ron and Harry nodded while Scott just sat back and listened intently. 

"Well, I have agreed to go to Draco's house during Christmas vacation-" She kept going, despite the looks that Ron was giving her. "-where we've decided to... Well..." She paused, trying to think of the appropriate term. "Give Lucius what he deserves, I guess..." 

Draco joined in."The thing is, we need help. There are going to be other powerful wizards there, and we can't handle them by ourselves." 

Hermione nodded. "And... That's what we're asking you for... Your help." 

Scott grinned immediately. "I'm in. You can count on me," he said, thumping Draco on the back. 

Harry and Ron looked at each other for a moment, conveying messages to each other. Then, Ron nodded at him and Harry looked up. "We'll do it." 

Hermione grinned. "Great. You guys are wonderful! We'll talk about the rest later. I'd better get Draco out of here before we start another World War..." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

*: holidays   
+: causing trouble in a playful way 

R/R!! I love you guys!! Really! 


	40. Family

Disclaimer: The past few years, I have not been allowed to go to the LotR movies in the winter. Nobody ever wanted to burden themselves by bringing their little sister along with them. This year, however, my wonderful, splendid, sweet boyfriend is taking me. I got really excited and started jumping up and down. I get to see it this year! I don't think JK Rowling would ever embarrass herself by becoming as excited as I was that moment. ^_^ 

AN: Gotta love the holidays! You never know with me, but you might be getting chapters a bit faster than usual... I'm not sure about my schedule tho... Oh, there's a new reviewer who wants to know if I update quickly or slowly.... Hehe... Anyone care to answer for me?? ^_^ Hehe... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee heard the knock on her office door as she finished zipping her dress up. "Come in. I'll be a second!" she called out, knowing that it was Severus at the door. 

She grabbed her black dress robes and slid them on over her black dress. She reached over and grabbed her wand as she left the bathroom, sliding on her shoes. 

"Hey," she greeted as she walked into her office, distractedly fixing her hair and finding a spot for her wand. Finally, she found the small pocket in her robes that was meant for the wand, then looked up. 

Severus, who was also wearing black dress robes, was standing by the door still, his eyes fixed on her. 

"Sevvy?" She tilted her head as she looked at him. She shrugged as he didn't respond. "You look snazzy," she commented as she straightened her robes. 

He was still looking at her. "What?" Shaylee asked. "Is there some strange animal sitting on my head?" 

He shook his head. "You look wonderful." 

Shaylee blushed and smiled. "Thank you, Sevvy." She slipped her arm in his. "Are we ready to go now?" 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

At first, when they entered the room, nobody noticed them. Shaylee led Severus around the main crowd towards a section of pictures by the wall. 

The whole room seemed to be like that. Flowers and pictures were tastefully displayed throughout the room, with a wreath up front, where a coffin would normally be. 

He studied the pictures as Shaylee looked around for Flynn. The first picture he saw was the family picture. It had to have been taken before Shaylee was born, because there were only two children in the picture. Shaylee's mother was also sitting there, holding a squirming boy that he assumed was Flynn with a content smile on her face. 

Her father looked happy also. He wasn't looking toward the camera, but was instead looking at his wife. There was another boy in the picture, older than the other one. He was sitting perfectly still, smiling at the camera pompously. That had to be Donnelly. He could understand why Shaylee didn't like him. He looked like a jerk at seven years old! 

The rest of the pictures seemed to be organized in a timeline. The pictures all leading up to Shaylee's birth were happy ones. Most of them were of Jeffrey Weasley and his wife, but there were a few of him with his children and his own siblings. 

Then, he saw a picture of a slightly worried looking Jeffrey holding a newborn baby girl with tiny curls of red hair poking out of her head. He smiled at the picture. Shaylee had been a cute baby. 

Shaylee glared at him when she noticed him looking at the picture. "Don't say a word," she warned. He just grinned at her. "It's very cute," he told her, ignoring her advice. Shaylee opened her mouth and paused. Finally, she said, "Well, if I hadn't just heard Severus Snape say the word, 'cute', I would definitely hurt you..." 

Severus just shook his head and went back to looking at the pictures. After Shaylee's birth, the pictures of her mother disappeared and in all of the pictures, her father rarely smiled. 

He came across a picture of about fifty serious looking wizards and witches gathered together. Shaylee took her eyes off of the rest of the visitors to see which picture he was looking at. 

"Oh, that's dad's Auror division. He was great at what he did..." 

"So _that's_ where I know his name..." Severus mused under his breath. 

"Hmm?" Shaylee asked, her main attention grasped by the other people again. 

"I thought I had heard of Jeffrey Weasley before. He worked with Dumbledore during the last war, didn't he?" 

Shaylee nodded, her attention back to Severus again. "He worked, alright. He hardly ever stopped working. He felt bad for having us go to a school so far away, I'm sure... He just... Didn't know how to tell us that..." She was looking at his picture tenderly and Severus felt that even though Shaylee sometimes expressed her dislike for her family, her father had been one of her main role models. 

"He was a great man. It's just that the loss of mum made him not such a great father..." She sighed. "I think I saw Flynn over on the other side of the room talking to his "friend". Let's go over there." 

Shaylee took Severus hand and led him through the crowd. They had made it through most of the room when someone came up and tapped Shaylee on the shoulder. She turned around. 

"Snobby weather*!" the man commented. He was a tall redhead with Shaylee's eyes. 

Shaylee smiled a strained smile. "Of course not, Donnelly! I was just going to ask Flynn if he knew where you were!" 

"Flynn showed up?" Donnelly asked, a confused look on his face. "He said he probably couldn't make it, but he'd talk to me when he got here if he came." 

"Oh..." Shaylee searched for words. "Well, he probably couldn't find you either. I saw him looking around for you when we came in." 

Donnelly shrugged. "Mind if I come with you?" 

Shaylee plastered a smile on her face. "Of course not, Don." 

For the first time, Donnelly noticed Severus. "So, Shay, are you going to introduce me to your fella+?" Shaylee sighed. "He's not my fella, Donnelly." 

Donnelly shrugged. "Then?" 

"This is Severus Snape, my... closest friend at Hogwarts. He's also a teacher." 

"Nice to meet you," Severus said, holding his hand out for a handshake. 

Donnelly shook his hand with a pompous grin. "Nice to meet you too, Severus." He turned to Shaylee. "Now how about we go see Flynn?" She shrugged and pulled Severus through the crowd again. 

They saw Flynn and a man with brown hair standing by a table, talking quietly. 

"Flynn?" Shaylee asked. Flynn turned around with a smile that faded as he saw Donnelly. He quickly recovered as Shaylee stepped lightly on his foot. 

"Donnelly! Long time no see! I... um... Just got here. We were just looking at some of da's old certificates and stuff before we started looking for you..." 

Donnelly looked at him strangely. "Shaylee said she saw you here looking for me earlier..." 

Shaylee winced. "Um..." She tried to think of a cover-up. "He's probably just shlossed^. He has no idea what he's talking about." 

Both of Shaylee's brothers looked at her, Donnelly with confusion and Flynn with anger. Flynn's "friend" just stood there, watching amusedly. 

Donnelly looked back to Flynn. "I thought you were off the drink," he commented disapprovingly. 

Flynn shot one more disdainful glance at Shaylee before he responded, trying to slur his words slightly, "And I thought you weren't off your nut**." 

Donnelly sighed, then looked around to see if anyone had heard them talk. "Well, I had better go and talk to other people. There are other people that miss da too..." With that, he turned away. Shaylee snickered. "Great job, Flynn. I can't do fake drunk talk." 

Flynn glared at her again. "That's because you don't ever have to _pretend_ to be drunk, Shay." 

She glared back. "Oh yeah? And since_ when _have you been off the drink?" 

"I had to tell the wanker++ something to get him off my arse." 

Severus' eyes met with Flynn's friend's. It seemed they were the only ones that remembered that they were at a memorial service, annd not in a place for arguing. 

Severus held his hand out. "Severus Snape." 

The other man smiled as he shook his hand. "Colby McCarthen. I'm with the gobshite^^ over there," he told him, nodding towards Flynn. There was silence until Colby asked, "So, how do you know Shaylee?" 

"I work at Hogwarts also," he answered. 

Colby nodded, but Severus could tell that he thought that there was probably something Severus wasn't saying. 

Finally, the two siblings stopped fighting. "Hey, I think Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur are here, Shay," Flynn said teasingly. 

Shaylee groaned. "Grand..." She muttered sarcastically. 

"SHAYLEE!" came a squeal as a red blur came up behind them and engulfed Shaylee in a hug. 

"Howya***, Aunt Molly," she managed to get out before Molly totally cut off her air supply. 

"Oh, dear. We haven't seen you in such a long time. How are you? Are you dealing with it well?" 

Shaylee nodded as she separated from her hug. "I'm fine. I got over the worst of it already. There's still..." She sniffed her nose as she really remembered where she was and why she was there. "There's still the normal stuff, you know..." Molly nodded sympathetically. 

"Why don't you come with me, dear? We'll talk about it somewhere else..." Shaylee nodded at her and turned to Severus. "I'll be back later. Just stay with Flynn and nobody will bite you." She winked at him, but there was still a tiny unshed tear in her eye. Molly finally noticed Severus, but didn't say anything as she led Shaylee away. 

Flynn waited until Shaylee and Molly were out of hearing distance before he spoke. "Do you guys realize what my family is going to think when they see me with two different guys?" 

Severus groaned as Colby chuckled. This was going to be a long day... 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco was sitting on the stairs in the entrance hall. He knew that Professors Snape and Weasley had been out at Professor Weasley's father's funeral that day. He was waiting for them to come back so that he could approach them about helping Hermione and him with their plan. He wasn't sure whether they would help or not, being Professors. But, he had to try. 

Hermione might be overcautious sometimes, but this was one of the times when she was absolutely right in what kind of danger there was. Frankly, he wasn't sure whether or not just two adults would be enough. He was confident in Professor Snape's abilities, but they hadn't reached the in depth defense part of DADA class yet, so he couldn't be sure how good Professor Weasley really was. 

The door opened and he heard them before he saw them. Shaylee was sneezing loudly and obnoxiously while Snape was scolding her. "You know you're sensitive to the cold! Why in Merlin's name didn't you wear a bloody coat?" 

Shaylee murmered something that Draco couldn't make out. 

"That's nonsense, Shaylee! You know better than that." 

Shaylee glared at him. "Can I just go to my room? I need sleep." 

Severus sighed. "Whatever you wish, but when you get sick and die, don't blame me." 

"I'd be dead. How could I blame you? Plus, you're not going anyw-" 

"Professors?" Draco finally said, deciding that if he waited for them to stop talking, he'd be waiting until the next century. 

They both looked up at him as he walked down the rest of the stairs to them. 

"Yes? Did you need something Mr. Malfoy?" Professor Snape asked him. 

"Yeah. I actually needed to talk to both of you. I need to ask you for a... favor." 

Severus walked slower, Shaylee huddled against him, so that they could hear him. 

"Hermione and I... Have decided to go to my house, as intended by my father, for the holidays." 

"Jackass," Shaylee murmured slightly as Severus kept listening. 

"We're planning on fighting back, actually. But the only back up we have is a group of students." 

"Which are?" Severus prompted. 

"Scott Ellis, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter," Draco answered. 

Severus didn't seem impressed by their efforts at all. "That's it? Good luck." He went on down the hallway. 

"Professor! I was actually wanting to see if you and Professor Weasley could help." 

"I'm in," Shaylee immediately said, though she was still huddled against Severus. 

"Shut it, Weasley," Severus said before turning back to Draco. 

"Mr. Malfoy, do you realize that I will probably be there anyway, and will be forced to fight against you? My orders come from the Order of the Phoenix, and there aren't any orders saying for me to help angry sons when their dads try to kill them." 

Malfoy looked at him in the eye. "Yes, sir, I realize that. However, I also realize that we need to take whatever chance we can get at defeating He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named." He paused and took a shaky breath. "I also realize that it is my duty to protect Hermione from my father. And, with all due respect, I will do that with or without your help, sir." 

Severus nodded as they stopped in front of Shaylee's door. "It is also my duty as your Head of House to protect you." 

"Let's just get this over with! I'm cold!" Shaylee said. She looked up from Severus long enough to say to Draco, "I'm in." 

Severus looked at him also. "We're both in." 

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Professors." 

Severus nodded. "No problem. Be careful, Draco. You know your father." 

Draco seemed to take this warning seriously. He nodded and continued downstairs. 

Severus led Shaylee into her office. "I can't believe how stupid you are. First, you refuse to wear a coat in the middle of Winter. Then, you volunteer for a mission you know nothing about _before _you hear anything about it. How stupid can a person be?" 

"Aw, come on, Sevvy! You know you were going to say yes no matter what. You wouldn't send the poor boy out there by himself. You have too much heart." 

Severus' gut tightened. For two reasons. Firstly, she was the first person who had ever said that he _had _heart, not even mentioning too much. Secondly, as she was talking, she was taking off her dress robes and tossing them on her chair, revealing the conservative, yet flattering dress she had on under it. 

She grabbed her coat from her coat rack and put it on over her dress, not aware of Severus' eyes following her. "I mean, what kind of jackass would actually send a bunch of 5th Years and a 7th Year out against a bunch of Death Eaters alone? That's just not your style, Sevvy. You want them to be alive for you to embarrass them in class." 

Severus sighed. "I was waiting for that." He studied her. "You look ridiculus," he said simply. And she did. She was still wearing her dress, but had added her poofy coat and scarf, and was currently putting on her gloves. 

"Thank you," Shaylee answered back. 

She opened the door leading to her bathroom and bedroom and went inside, taking her discarded dress robes with her. She opened the door on her left, chucked the robes in blindly, closed the door, then went to the door on her left. 

"Your quarters really are small, aren't they?" Severus mused out loud, noticing that she had been telling the truth before. 

She poked her head back out angrily. "Yeah! You just noticed?" She popped her head back in, and this time closed the door to what he assumed was the bathroom. 

"Why is it so cold in this castle?" she yelled, frustrated, from the bathroom. 

"It's only heated magically. No actual heaters. I've noticed that it's a tad colder in your office, actually." 

"Great. I'm the one that hates the cold, and I'm the one with the defective heating sp-- _Woah! _Wait! Why didn't I think of that before?" 

"Think of what?" 

Shaylee came out of her bathroom, this time in her pajamas and coat. "I never thought about using a heating charm on my classroom!" 

She pulled out her wand and opened the door to her DADA classroom. 

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Severus mused as she performed a heating charm on both her class and her office. 

"Thanks. At least I won't freeze now..." 

There was silence as Shaylee disappeared for a few seconds to heat up the rest of her quarters. When she came back again, Severus said, "You know, if we're going to do this for Draco, we should probably both be at the same place this Christmas." 

Shaylee shrugged. "I'm going to be here. I decided not to go home for the holidays this year." 

"Well, I am. My sister invited me over to her place over in Wales." 

Shaylee was about to open her mouth to say something, but paused. "So... Are you asking me to come to your sister's house for Christmas?" 

"And New Years," Severus added. 

Shaylee sat down on her desk chair and propped her feet up on the desk. "Well... I don't want to be a bother." 

"To Cecilia? No one is a bother to her." 

Shaylee shrugged. "I don't know. I can be really annoying sometimes." 

Severus chuckled. "Believe me, I know that. But, Sissy's two boys are the closest I could ever find to the Weasley twins. She's used to annoying people." 

Shaylee looked interested. "She's got kids?" 

"Two boys and a girl. I told you about Serafena. You remind me of her when her mother's let her have too much sugar." 

Shaylee tried to hold back a smile. His family sounded a lot better than sitting around Hogwarts with all the kids that hate their families too much to go home for the holidays. She grinned at him. "You know what, Sevvy? That sounds like a lot of fun." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

*Ignoring me?   
+boyfriend   
^drunk   
**crazy   
++person you don't like   
^^Idiot   
***Hi (greeting) 


	41. Packing

Disclaimer: Just so everyone knows, I've got the best boyfriend on Earth. JK Rowling doesn't have the best boyfriend on Earth. She may think she has the best husband on Earth, and that's fine with me. But, I have the best boyfriend on Earth. I mean, seriously, what kind of 15 year old guy spends around 50 bucks on his girlfriend for Christmas? (Hehe: What kind of middle class teenager actually spends a decent sum of money on their _family_?) I mean, maybe if they've been together for a while, but we've been going out for a month and 21 days... So, I have proved it: I have the best boyfriend on Earth, so I'm not JK Rowling. 

AN: I used the 4th book to figure out how many Death Eaters are in Voldie's inner-circle, but it didn't exactly say the exact number, so I made an estimate. Also, please take into consideration that this is taking place during their 5th year, so the 5th book never happened. This means that there haven't been huge break-outs from Azkaban, Bellatrix isn't running around as she pleases, dearest F & G are staying at school, there was never a Professor Umbridge, poor Luna Lovegood won't make an appearance (sniffle), and SIRIUS IS NOT DEAD!!! ^_^ Sorry, I needed that! ^_^ 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Draco and Hermione were walking with Harry, Ron and Scott down to Professor Weasley's office. That is where they were meeting to discuss their overall plan, and for the two professors to help develop one that would work. Draco had his bookbag with him, which held a blueprint that he had magically sketched out. 

They reached the door to Shaylee's office and knocked. There was a pause and then Shaylee appeared at the door. "Hey," she greeted. She let them in and closed the door behind them. 

Harry was, obviously, very intrigued on how Shaylee would decorate the office that he had seen belonging to so many people. He was not expecting it to look more like a living room than a study. He was startled by the fancy looking coat rack and the big, comfortable chairs, but what got him the most was the beanbag chair sitting in the corner. He hadn't seen one of those since he was 9 and Dudley got one for his birthday, only to find out he liked to play with the beans more than sit on the beanbag. He wasn't sure exactly why a 26 year old professor had one in her office. 

"Go ahead and sit down. Se- ... Professor Snape will be here in a moment," she told them casually. She looked up with a second thought. "Just don't sit on the beanbag, please. Reserved." 

The students sat down and conversed quietly while Shaylee set the stack of papers she had been grading aside. The fire in her fireplace turned green and Severus walked in through it. 

He greeted them briefly before instinctively going to sit on the beanbag, with Shaylee following him so that she could sit on his lap. When they were both seated, they looked expectantly up at their visitors, who all had either grossed out or confused looks on their faces. 

"Oh, well, I have the blueprints here." Draco opened his bag and took out a rolled up blueprint. 

The rest of them gathered around them to see as he lay them out on the floor. 

"This is the overall blueprint of the accessible parts of the grounds. There is a forest behind the house almost obscuring the backdoor into my father's wing." 

He pointed to a part of the house that jutted out from the rest of the house's shape. "That's my father's wing. No one is allowed in there unless there is a meeting of Death Eaters. Most of them come through the front door, but there are a few that always enter through the back way. I don't know why, exactly." 

Professor Snape spoke. "You're forgetting that I was always one that used that door. The purpose is for them to make sure that no one is around. They also lock the door on the way in." 

There was silence, and Shaylee expressed what they all were thinking. "Aw, shit." 

"Actually, if we have Professor Snape coming through that door, then we should be OK. Can you just leave the door unlocked?" 

Professor Snape shrugged. "I don't exactly think I'm invited. I believe they've realized that I'm not exactly helping them at all, and it's not long before the fact that I'm a spy penetrates their thick skulls." 

"Well, if this plan is going to work, we'll need someone other than Draco and me on the inside," Hermione spoke up. 

"Oooo! Me!" Shaylee volunteered. 

"No Weasleys," both Snape and Draco said at once. 

Shaylee and Ron looked indignant. "And why the hell not?" Shaylee demanded. 

"There are no Death Eaters with red hair. While your whole head is covered, there are often short periods when you take your hood, but not your mask, off. The red hair would give it away," Severus explained. 

Shaylee scowled at him. "Fine." She crossed her arms. 

"Harry's part is already put in stone," Hermione mused. "So, that leaves Scott." Everyone looked up at Scott, who was the only one left actually still sitting on a chair. He grinned at them. "Sure! I'll do it." 

"Professor?" Draco turned to Snape questionably. 

Snape studied Scott for a moment. He didn't like him, but he might be the only one who could get them out of the mess that they had started. "I can give him my Death Eaters robes. He should blend in well." 

Draco nodded. "So, here's the plan: All of you are outside. Professors Snape and Weasley are hidden in or around the stable, so that you can see what's going on. Harry and Ron can stay under his invisibility cloak in the trees. Scott goes in with the other Death Eaters and makes sure the door stays unlocked." 

"You'll meet the others over by the greenhouse," Snape added and Scott nodded, showing that he understood. 

"After a wait of about five minutes, the Professors go inside. They go upstairs to make sure no one is in my father's office or library. When the coast is clear, they send a red light through the window towards the woods. When Harry and Ron see this, they go inside and down the trapdoor leading to the Dark Lord's Den." 

"Is it wise to send both of them down at once?" Scott pondered. 

"Is it wise to only send one down with no back-up?" Severus countered. Scott shrugged his agreement. "Very true." 

"Anyway, the two of them will set off the alarm attached to the trapdoor, dragging the attention from Hermione. I will have time to get Hermione out, using a passage to the front lawn. The professors can come downstairs and help also. I'll get Hermione to safety, then come back and help." 

There was a moment of silence as each individual counted the holes in the plan. 

"Draco," Severus finally spoke, pensive. "Do you know how many Death Eaters are to be there?" 

"We're getting out lucky. Only his inner-circle is invited." 

Severus nodded. "That means..." 

"About ten." 

"Not including The Dark Lord," Severus reminded them. 

"That's... 6 to 11 odds...." Shaylee told them. 

There was silence until Scott said cheerfully, "But considering who those six are, it's no problem!" 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

There were no classes the next day. Everyone who was going home for the holidays were packing, or procrastinating, as some certain 5th year Gryffindor boys were doing. Harry was going to the Weasleys' for Christmas, and Hermione had been nagging him and Ron to start packing. 

Shaylee had been in her room all day, trying to figure out what to take. It was warmer in her quarters now that she had used a warming charm, and her coat was laying beside her small traveling trunk. 

She had already placed all of her warm clothes in the trunk, and hoped that it wasn't unnaturally warm in Wales. She finally went into her office and flooed Severus. 

"Sevvy! What should I be packing?" Shaylee called into the fire. 

"Uh... Clothes," he responded. 

"I know that. What kinds of clothes?" 

There was a pause, but finally Severus said, "Warm ones." 

There was a loud thump and a hiss of pain. "Son of a centaur!" 

Shaylee laughed. "That's one I have _never _heard! What'd you do, eejit?" She invited herself to walk through the flames so that she could see if he was actually hurt. 

She didn't walk out into his office, as she had expected. She ignored him as she looked around. "OK, you have a fireplace in your living room? That is so unfair!" 

Severus was in the next room putting ice on his hand. "So do you," he told her as he winced from the pain on his hand. 

Shaylee walked towards him. "Let me see it," she commanded and reached out for his hand. "_Ow!_" he said. "Sorry..." Shaylee apologized as she looked at his hand. "What in bloody hell did you do to yourself?" she asked as she saw the huge bruise. 

"Dropped my trunk." 

Shaylee snickered. "Are you serious?" 

"Yes. What's so unnatural about that?" 

"You mean you're just starting to pack?" 

Severus shrugged innocently. "You reminded me." 

Shaylee narrowed her eyes at him. "Sevvy, I'm going to have to get myself a thesaurus and look up different ways to say 'imbecile'." 

Severus shrugged as he pulled his hand away from her and went through the door that led to his office. He grabbed a potion off of a shelf and a book off of his desk. He tossed it at her as he walked back in his Living Room. "Knock yourself out." 

Shaylee looked down to see that she was holding "Pyutlert's Wizarding Thesaurus." She grinned and sat down on a couch to look it up. 

When Severus walked back in a few moments later, Shaylee was ready. "Troglodyte!" 

"What the hell?" 

"You're a troglodyte, you are!" Shaylee said, giggling at his face. She chucked the thesaurus right back at him. 

Severus shook his head. "You really are annoying, did you know that?" 

"Of course." 

"Well, I'm all packed. Are you?" 

Shaylee laughed. "Yeah, right!" 

"Then hurry your arse up," Severus suggested, pointing to the fire and the pot of floo powder right by it. Shaylee quickly went back to her office, Severus following with his shrunken trunk in his pocket. 

She went into her room, where her trunk was currently sitting, and started tossing in random items. She looked around the room for something as Severus came to stand in her doorway. 

She was looking under her bed when he finally asked, "What are you looking for?" 

She glared at him. "Nothing," she answered coldly as she continued to search. 

He entered the room and sat down on a chair beside her bed. There was a fuzzy teddy bear with a red bow tie sitting on the floor beside it and he picked it up for closer study. 

Shaylee saw him and snatched it from his hands. She tossed it in her trunk and slammed it with a glare for him. 

"I'm ready now." 

"_That's _what you were looking for? A teddy bear?" 

"Shut up." 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Hermione shrunk her trunk and stuck it in her pocket. She made her way down the stairs to the Common Room, where she already knew she would find Harry and Ron sitting and playing Chess. 

She was, as usual, correct. 

"Have you packed yet?" 

"Yes mum," Ron answered sarcastically as he concentrated on his next move. 

Harry looked up at her with a sympathetic grin. "We just finished." 

"Good. I'm going to meet Draco now. I'll see both of you on the train." 

Ron finally made his move on the chess board and called after her teasingly, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" 

"I should hope not," Harry muttered under his breath and Hermione laughed when Ron's "What's that supposed to mean?" floated out into the hallway. 

She went through the halls down to the kitchens, where they had agreed to meet. Hermione tickled the pear and went inside, where she was not surrounded by House Elves like most people would be. 

Instead, Dobby the House Elf sped over to her by himself, beaming cheek to cheek. "Miss Hermione Granger! It has been a long time since you has come to see us!" 

Hermione smiled down at the little House Elf. "I'm sorry, Dobby. I've been very busy lately." 

"Has Miss Granger made developments with her S.P.E.W?" 

"Only a few, Dobby, but I am working on it." 

Dobby looked around the kitchen. "Dobby is not supposed to speak of S.P.E.W. in here. The other elves do not like it." 

Hermione smiled kindly at him again. "That's quite all right, Dobby. I'm just meeting someone here, though I wouldn't mind a bit of hot chocolate for my wait." 

Dobby's face turned pale. "Oh, please forgive Dobby, Miss Hermione! I is not thinking!" He wailed painfully and looked as if he was going to start hitting his head against the wall again. 

"No, no, Dobby! It's all right! You shouldn't have to act like that around me anyway. We're friends, aren't we?" 

Dobby beamed shyly. "Thank you, Miss Hermione. I will go get you some hot chocolate." 

Hermione grinned at the House Elf as he went off to a kettle and she sat down. Dobby was just bringing her the chocolate when the door opened again. 

Draco stepped in and was surrounded by House Elves. 

"What can I get you, sir?" 

"Is sir hungry?" 

"Did good sir eat his breakfast?" 

"What is you needing sir? Is you needing something to drink?" 

"Um..." Draco looked nervously around for Hermione, but didn't spot her. 

Dobby looked up at the commotion. When he saw who was at the portrait hole, he gasped and almost dropped the kettle. Instead, he finished filling up Hermione's mug, then inconspicuously slid behind her to hide. 

"Well, I suppose I'll take a cup of tea while I wait fo-- Oh... There she is." Draco grinned at Hermione and started towards her. 

Hermione smiled at him over her mug of chocolate. "Hi, Draco." She stood up to give him a hug, revealing Dobby's shivering form. 

"Young Master Malfoy," Dobby said, his voice wavering. 

Draco looked down. "_Dobby? _I had no idea you worked here!" 

Dobby nodded his head feebly as Draco studied him. "Are you afraid of me, Dobby?" 

Dobby was silent for a few moments then said, "Dobby is sorry, sir." 

"Dobby, there's no reason to be afraid of Draco," Hermione said as both her and Draco sat down. 

Dobby was silent again for a few seconds, then without warning, started beating his head against the side of the table. "Baaad! BAD DOBBY!" 

The rest of the House Elves looked their way for a small moment, then looked back to their work, disgraced looks on their faces. The House Elf that had been bringing Draco his tea thrust it in his direction and hurried off with a mumbled apology on Dobby's behalf. 

"Dobby?! Stop it right now, Dobby!" Hermione commanded. 

Dobby stopped as suddenely as he had started. "I is sorry, Miss Hermione." 

"Dobby," Hermione started off calmly. "I know that you did not like Draco's father, but Draco is really a lot different than his father. Think of all the things Mr. Malfoy made you do that Draco never did." 

He paused as he thought. "Young Master Malfoy never made me sharpen his dinner knife." His eyes narrowed. "Master Malfoy always wanted his knife to be sharp. It scared Dobby." 

Dobby sniffled as he thought of more. "Master Malfoy made me feed his snakes..." He shivered. "Young Master Malfoy helped sometimes." 

Draco smiled as he inwardly realized that this had just been because he had liked Lucius' pet snakes when he was a child. 

Dobby smiled also as he remembered something. "Dobby played peek-a-boo with Young Master Malfoy when he was in his crib and wouldn't stop crying." 

Hermione laughed at the thought of a baby Draco playing peek-a-boo with a House Elf with such huge eyes. 

"See? Draco isn't scary." 

Dobby studied them for a moment, then spoke up. "Dobby wishes to ask a question, but it is not nice. Dobby wouldn't be polite. Dobby doesn't want to hit his head again." 

"You should ask it," Hermione advised."I won't think badly of you. We're friends, remember?" 

Dobby beamed at her. "Well..." He paused again, then said, "Is Miss Hermione loving Young Master Malfoy?" 

Hermione blushed, but smiled at Draco. "Yes, Dobby. I love Draco very much." 

Draoc smiled back at her and slid his arm around her. 

Dobby grinned at them more. "This is happy news. Is Young Master Malfoy going to Miss Hermione's house for the holidays?" 

"No. I'm going with Draco to his house." 

A look of fear came into Dobby's eyes again, but he shook out of it quickly. "Is it possible for you to do Dobby a favor?" 

Hermione nodded. "If I can do it, I will." 

"Well..." Dobby looked down at the ground shyly. "If you is seeing Dobby's mother, can you tell her that Dobby is doing fine? Dobby is happy. Dobby..." He looked up at her. "...has friends." 

Hermione smiled at him as she and Draco stood up. "I promise that I will try very hard, Dobby." 

"Thank you, Miss Hermione. Now, I must go. Dobby should be making tonight's supper." 

"I'll try to stop by sometime after vacation, Dobby." 

Dobby grinned at her, bowed slightly, then hurried off to the nearest stove. 

Draco and Hermione made their way towards the Kitchen's door and headed out towards the main door, where there were people already getting in carriages set for Hogsmeade station. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Almost there!!! Thanks to all my lovely reviewers!! I hope everyone had an AWESOME Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/whatever you celebrate. R/R!!!!!! 


	42. Traveling

Disclaimer: OK... I know I've told everyone about how much I hate Algebra, and how I'm really not actually doing up to my potential in the class... Well, unfortunately, my Algebra teacher used to be really good friends with my family before we moved. I mean, she was in the PTO with mom, my older sisters' GS leader, and etc. I actually used to wear her kids' clothes when I was little. So, when my older sister saw her, she asked how I was doing in the class... ... ... Yeah... Well, it basically wasn't that bad... She just said that I always seemed tired and I needed more sleep. Sooooo... Now, I am under strict orders to get more sleep. I'M 15 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE A BEDTIME!!!! Grrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!! Life. Sucks. Needless to say, JK Rowling is not 15, and she doesn't have an Algebra teacher trying to ruin her life. ^_^ (I love being melodramatic!) She also does NOT have a bedtime. (Of course, the orders come from my sister, so I guess I don't have to... ^_~) 

AN: Ugh. THIS CHAPTER SUCKS!!!! Too rushed and not written well enough. I can't even stand to read it over. Ewwwww! Sorry. I had Writer's Block, and instead of waiting it out, I just went on, trying to write it. I shouldn't have done that. Sorry again. Hopefully the next chapter will be a lot better. 

IMPORTANT REQUEST!!!!: OK, as you all know, I'm in band (and my band rocks). Well, every year, there's a contest for the area schools' bands. We won last year (by having an Army Base vote for us every 10 seconds....), however, we can't exactly do that this year... Sooooo, if you love me..... Go to my profile for the link. From there, click on "Benton Central" on the voting section pleeeaaase. We're getting our butts whipped... Please note that the voting is only taking place this week. Nothing afterwards. And, if you vote for us, tell me in a review and I will be most grateful to you! You might even get a prize!!!! ^_^ 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting in a compartment on the train, talking and waiting for Draco and Hermione to find them so that they could sit with them. 

They were playing Exploding Snap when the two finally walked in, holding hands as usual. Ron pretended to gag as Harry rolled his eyes and Ginny beamed at them. 

"Don't mind them," she told them as they sat down on the seat beside Harry. "They just don't understand being in love." She glared at Ron and Harry, who were now ignoring her and concentrating greatly on their game. 

Harry blushed as he felt Ginny's eyes on him. He forced his eyes to stay away from her and on the Exploding Snap cards instead. He heard a giggle come from Hermione and he finally looked up to see all three of the passengers beside Ron (who was still playing the game intently) studying him. 

His face just turned redder. "What?" 

Hermione giggled again. "Look at that, Draco! He's blushing!!!" Ron looked up at the unfamiliar sound of feminine noises coming from Hermione. He looked at her, confused, then looked to Harry for an explanation. It didn't help any, as Harry was now blushing bright red again, and wasn't looking at anyone. 

"I think I missed something," Ron announced as he looked to Ginny to see that her face was also red. He shrugged and went back to his game. 

Ginny looked up to see which card he was pulling out. She opened her mouth suddenly. "Ron, not that--" She moved out of the way just in time. Ron's singed hair was sticking up and his sleeve was charred by the game, while Ginny had escaped anything happening to her... by jumping straight into Harry's lap. 

Hermione and Draco were already laughing, but their laughter grew louder as they saw the ironic picture of Ginny sitting on Harry's lap, looking rather confused as to how she got there. 

"Um... Sorry, Harry..." Ginny said and quickly made her way to get off of his lap. Harry caught her arm, however, and pulled her back down on his lap. "There's no need to run away. Hell, they might as well get used to it anyway." 

Ginny smiled at him demurely and situated herself more comfortably on his lap. 

Ron was busy flattening his hair and wiping off his face, but still found time to send a small glare Harry's way. "You know the 'Protective Brother Speech', Harry. You helped me create it. But, I mean it. I don't care who you are; I'll--" 

"Ron? I don't think he's listening..." Hermione interrupted, directing his attention to where Harry and Ginny were sitting, whispering to each other with small smiles on their faces.   


It was a few more hours before they pulled up to Platform 9 3/4. The Weasleys and Harry left through the barrier with joyful waves and wishes for a happy holiday season. 

"Mother usually comes to accompany me home, but she had other business today. We're to meet the carriage driver in Diagon Ally." 

"And how are we to get there?" 

Draco smiled at her. "Surely you've read somewhere that the Leaky Cauldron isn't the only spot with an opening to Diagon Ally?" 

Hermione shook her head. "Actually, I haven't. But, thanks to you, I now know that small bit of information. Is that, by chance, our means of getting to Diagon Ally?" 

"Aren't you the smart one? Yes it is. That opening happens to be at Platform 9 3/4." 

Draco led her to the right a couple of yards, scanning the wall. Finally, he stopped right in front of a bright red brick, which contrasted with the rest of the bricks in the wall, all of which were a dull brownish color. 

"It's quite obvious really. I don't know why they still have this old entry way. It's so cliché." 

Draco pulled out his wand and tapped the bright red brick twice and the brick above it once. 

After a few moments of waiting, the bricks finally spread open, making an opening for them into the cobblestone street. 

Diagon Ally wasn't as crowded as Hermione had always seen it. There were no students running around for school supplies. The main crowd was made up of parents with Christmas wish lists, or women shopping at the food market for dinner. 

"There he is," Draco said, interrupting Hermione's thoughts as he pointed her towards a well dressed chauffeur standing by a carriage much like the ones at school, though more regally ornamented. 

They walked that way and as the carriage driver noticed them, he pulled his hat off and bowed. "Young Master Malfoy." 

"Hello Tobias," Draco said kindly. Tobias turned his head back towards him in a double take. Hermione smiled up at Draco as she realized that the Malfoys' chauffeur must not be used to being treated like that. 

Tobias opened the carriage door for them and Draco helped Hermione up with a smile towards the driver as he shut the door. 

A couple moments later, the carriage jolted into movement and they were on their way down the street. They made a turn and started going down another, much less crowded road that eventually turned into a country road. 

"So, how long is the ride exactly?" Hermione asked Draco. 

"I'd say about a half hour at the most," he answered her. 

There was silence and then Hermione asked the question she'd been pondering for a while. "Why do they call you 'Young Master Malfoy'?" 

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm 'Young Master Malfoy' until my father dies. He was called that when my grandfather was still alive, and it just goes down the line like that." 

"Are you fine with that?" 

Draco thought for a moment. "Truthfully, I'd rather not even be associated with my family until my father dies. He holds too much power over the rest of my relatives, and they're mostly into the same kinds of things he is." 

Hermione was silent for a few minutes as she thought about this. "So, what about your mother?" 

Draco smiled softly. "She's the best woman in the world, beside you of course." Hermione smiled at that. "Go on," she prompted. 

"She's so loving. I don't understand how she can love my dad so much when he's such a jackass." 

"You can love someone without liking them," Hermione told him wisely. 

Draco smiled at her. "You make me feel stupid." 

Hermione laughed. 

"No, I'm serious. You're too smart for me." 

She grinned modestly. "Thanks," she said with a blush on her face. 

"So, genius, is it possible to love someone and hate them at the same time?" he asked. 

"... Hmm... Actually," Hermione paused. "I don't know. True hate falls so deep. True hate is wishing that someone would die, or that they had never existed at all. Love is the exact opposite of that. To have both feelings for the same person is the ultimate oxymoron. It'd take someone with an extraordinary emotional scale to feel that way." 

"OK, Voltaire!" He grinned at her sarcastically. "Thank you for that deep look into Hermione Granger's mind. Now, if you care to look out of your window, you will see the ominous looking gates of Malfoy Manor right ahead." Draco said in a tour guide voice. 

Hermione rolled her eyes, but looked out her window to see that they were passing through elegant steel gates on a winding road. To the right, she saw a tall hill, covered in snow. To her left, there was a huge greenhouse containing a whole garden. 

"Wow.. It's..." 

"Huge?" Draco finished for her, smiling. 

She grinned. "That's the word I was thinking of. But where's the house?" 

"Right up there," Draco said, gesturing straight ahead of them. 

Hermione craned her neck to see ahead of the carriage. She couldn't see it properly yet, but she could make out an extremely large Renaissance style mansion. 

The carriage came to a halt and only a few short moments later, Tobias opened the door. Draco slid out and helped Hermione out. 

"Wow..." she breathed, looking at the house. "It's beautiful." 

Draco smiled as he also studied his house critically. "Wait until you see the inside." 

Hermione grinned at the familiar cockiness, but took his hand and followed him up the stairs to the magnificent door. 

"Well, welcome to Malfoy Manor," Draco said, turning the doorknob. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Shaylee sat on her desk, her arms crossed. "Are you ready yet?" She glared at Severus. 

He glared back at her. "Wait one second." 

He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "All right; I found it." 

Shaylee looked at him blankly. "Er... What the hell is that?" 

"Tha Portkey to my sister's house." 

"Oohhhh... OK." 

"We still have forty-eight seconds," Severus informed her, leaning up against the desk with her. 

Shaylee hesitated as if she was thinking of something intelligent, then said, "Is your sister as evil as you are?" 

Severus rolled his eyes. "In my opinion? She's worse." 

Shaylee grinned. "If that's what you think of her, I think we'll definitely get along." 

Severus ignored that statement and held out the Portkey. "Almost time." 

Shaylee reached out and they both took hold of a corner of the handkerchief. 

A few seconds later, the two were being tugged by the Portkey to their destination.   


They landed in a huge pile of snow, Shaylee on top of, and squishing Severus. 

"Oh, Merlin..." 

"Oh, sorry about that. Am I hurting you?" Shaylee asked innocently, refusing to sit up off of him. 

Severus' glare was interrupted by a shriek. "Uncy Sevwus!!" 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Thanks to reviewers. I love you all! Remember to go vote for my band at ; ^_^ Benton Central Band would appreciate it!!   
  
  
  



	43. Arriving

Disclaimer: Wow. I'm back. *Monty Python-like rejoicing* And my Writer's Block is sorta leaving. *More Monty Python-like rejoicing* And we are doing slightly easy stuff at school, so I'm very refreshed in the brain. *Yet more Monty Python-like rejoicing* I also have decided my ending so that updates might increase if school isn't sucky, which it probably will be... *rejoicing on scales of when they ate Sir Robin's minstrels* Hmmm, so do you think JK ever saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Maybe... She's British... Do you think that she'd write a disclaimer for something she wrote? Ha!!!! Got you there!!!!! ^_^ (Any idea what Monty Python had with this disclaimer? Me neither.) 

AN: We didn't win Battle of the Bands, but I thank all who voted. You all get any candy bar of your choice!! I also stayed up and only got two hours of sleep because I figured out a way to cheat... I ran out of ISPs tho... Damn small Dial-up companies... Anyway... I am however known as the "Freshman-who-could-and-almost-did". ^_^ Aren't you proud of me? ^_^ 

AN2: I bet all of you are wondering why I haven't updated... I'm sorry. I've been really stressed out lately. I've been trying to make 3 or 4 different decisions at the same time, mostly about my family, and where I'm gonna live when my parents finally get to the custody part of their divorce. That's kinda brought my grades down, and I had to bring those up, and I've just had absolutely no time to myself lately, and whenever I did, I just sat around with the great feeling of having nothing to do. I'm truly sorry, but I hope I'll be able to update more often soon. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Random PG-15 remark: When the ancient Roman army won a battle, they celebrated by having this huge victory orgy! They'd get all the women they could find, and if they couldn't find very many, that was OK; anything goes!! Sooooo, when in Rome, do as the Romans do! ^_~ OK... That sounded slightly derogatory... I'm just relaying history... I'm not calling Romans gay... (Tho, did you know that Hercules supposedly had a male lover?) All of this twisted history is courtesy of my twisted friend and twisted English teacher. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

Severus groaned and braced himself as he heard his niece's voice. "Uncy Sevwus!!" she cried again as she jumped on top of him. (Luckily, Shaylee had moved off of him just in time.) "Hey Sera..." he said, out of breath from having 2 females land on him in the span of 5 seconds. 

"Serafena Silver Snape! What are you doing?" came an exasperated voice as a tired looking woman, who looked an unnerving amount like Severus, came out of the house, wiping her hands on her apron. 

"She's fine, Sissy," Severus said, standing up and holding a laughing Sera. "I've been attacked by her before..." 

Severus' sister looked at him accusingly for a moment, then grinned and gave him a hug. 

Shaylee stood off to the side, soaking all of this in, noticing that Severus hadn't put up the wall he usually had. 

"So bowsie*, are you going to introduce me?" she finally asked when she felt like she wasn't interrupting. 

Sissy looked up at her with a grin. "He has no manners, does he?" 

Severus glared at her, then turned to Shaylee with a smile. "Sorry. This is my sister, Cecilia, but I call her Sissy. And this is my niece Serafena." He turned to Cecilia. "Where are the boys?" 

She sighed. "Inside, up in Sebastien's room. I've been trying to get them to tell me what they're doing, but I've decided that I don't want to know." 

"Probably not. Anyway, Sissy, Sera, this is my friend Shaylee." 

Cecilia looked at Severus doubtingly. "Mmhmm... Sure." 

He glared at her. "We'll talk later," he said to her softly. 

Sissy sighed. "Men..." 

Shaylee giggled. "See, Sevvy! I told you I'd like her!" 

Sissy glared at him. "Did he say that I was an old hag? Because I wouldn't put it past him..." 

Shaylee grinned at her. "No. And I don't want to start any family feuds, so let's just forget I said anything." 

"Good idea." Cecilia turned to her brother. "She's a smart one, Severus." 

Cecilia took Shaylee's arm and led her towards the medium sized, but comfortable looking house while Severus carried Sera in. 

"So, Sera, how has 'rino been treating you?" Severus asked his niece as he shut the door behind him. 

"Don't ask," Cecilia told him, turning around with a warning glare. 

"Uh oh... That doesn't sound good..." 

Sissy just shook her head and walked over to a staircase. "Severino! Sebastien! Your Uncle is here!" 

There was a pause and then the sound of footsteps on the stairs came down to them. A few short moments later, two black haired blobs ran down the stairs and straight into Severus. He steadied himself using the wall and glanced up at Sissy. "And you wander why I only visit you on the holidays?" Sissy shrugged innocently and took a hold of her daughter who was still being held by Severus. 

"Hey Bastien, hey 'rino." 

The two boys were still long enough for Shaylee to see them. Frankly, they looked like a younger version of Severus with shorter hair. One of them, Bastien, looked to be about 10, while the other one looked around 7 or 8. 

"Hey, Uncle Severus, you wanna come see what we've been making?" the eldest boy said, stepping away with only a very brief hug. 

Severus considered this. "I don't know... Is it going to blow up on me?" 

The younger one looked up at him seriously. "It shouldn't. We've fixed that problem." 

Severus looked at his sister sympathetically. "How about I go see what they've been working on and you can get acquainted with Shaylee." 

The boys looked around at the mention of someone else's name. When they saw Shaylee, their nose wrinkled. "Eww! It's a girl..." the younger boy said, disgusted. Sebastien looked like he agreed. 

Shaylee grinned at this. At least she didn't have to worry about the children being overly polite freaks. 

Severus rolled his eyes. "Don't mind them, Shaylee, they're ju--" "I know, I know," Shaylee interrupted. "I'm related to the Weasleys. I think I know how young boys act." 

Severus nodded and took the boys' arms to lead them upstairs. 

"Uncle Severus, she's not your girlfriend, is she?" 

Shaylee held back a laugh as Severus answered, "Of course not, Sebastien. Does your uncle seem like the kind of guy who'd have one of those?" 

Shaylee turned to Cecilia as Severus disappeared upstairs. 

"Go ahead and take your coat off and we'll go into the kitchen and get some hot chocolate or tea." 

Shaylee paused, but took her coat off and decided that she wasn't going to freeze, as she would be if she was at Hogwarts. 

She remembered her hat and tugged it off, letting her hair fall loose from where it had been stacked on top of her head. 

Cecilia paused as she saw her hair and sent a doubtful look towards the ceiling. 

Shaylee turned back to Sissy to see that Serafena was staring at her curiously. She smiled softly at her. "Hello Sera. My name is Shaylee. How old are you?" 

Sera solemnly held up 4 fingers, then buried her face in her mother's shoulder as Shaylee grinned at her. 

"Let's go into the kitchen and I'll get us something to warm us up." Cecilia shifted Sera and led Shaylee down a conservatively decorated hallway into a very Muggle-styled kitchen with only a few wizarding appliances. 

She sat Sera down on a chair by the small round table and got a kettle off of a shelf. 

"So is this your first year teaching, Shaylee?" she asked as she filled the kettle with water. 

"Yes. I studied in Egypt for a few years after I graduated, then I decided I wanted to be a teacher." 

Cecilia looked up from the kettle momentarily. "So... How old are you?" 

Shaylee knew what Sissy was thinking. "I'm twenty-six, but you don't have to worry. There's really nothing going on between your brother and I." 

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant... I'm sorry if I seemed a bit..." Sissy stopped as she turned the sink faucet off. "Well, evil, I guess." 

Shaylee laughed. "No, that's OK. I'm used to protective relatives." 

Sissy set the kettle on a gas stove and turned it on. 

"I was just surprised that you were able to start teaching at such a young age. I don't really know much about the wizarding training for teachers, but I was surprised you were teaching already." 

"I actually lucked out on that," Shaylee admitted. "I was studying the History of Dark Arts in the Pyramids in Egypt, and Dumbledore needed a teacher, so all I had to do was take a brief summer course for teachers training, and that was all I needed to qualify." 

"That sounds interesting. I probably would have stayed in Egypt, instead of working with kids." 

Shaylee shrugged. "I'm the youngest child. I've always liked hanging out with younger people. I don't know why. My younger cousins and I are really close, which is perhaps why their grade is so high in my class..." 

Sissy giggled. "So, why are you friends with Severus? He's... ancient." 

Shaylee laughed. "He's a nice guy. I don't know really... It started out as me trying to annoy him into being fun." 

"I bet you had a hard time with that," Cecilia said with a wry grin. 

Shaylee was about to say something to defend Severus, but then paused and admitted, "Yeah... I did..." 

They both laughed as Sera sat there, calmly playing with the tablecloth. 

The kettle started to hiss at them and Cecilia took it off of the stove and started to make the hot chocolate. 

"What are we making?" Severus asked, walking into the room. 

"Hot chocolate," his sister answered briefly, without turning around. 

"May I have s--" 

"I already knew you'd ask, Sev." 

Shaylee looked up at Severus with her eyes twinkling. He groaned. "Let's not bring out the embarrassing nicknames..." 

"Why not?" Sissy teased, setting cups of hot chocolate in front of him and Shaylee. She got out a plastic cup and poured some in it. She reached into her apron pocket to pull out a wand and cool it, then handed it to Sera. 

"Don't you dare spill that, Serafena," she warned as she got herself some and sat down. 

Sera just nodded and started sipping at her chocolate. 

"Where are the boys?" Cecilia asked Severus. "And what in the world are they making up there?" 

"That's exactly what they're doing right now, and I'm sworn to secrecy," Severus answered with a mischievous look. 

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "You are a total arse, you know that, right?" 

Severus smiled at her. "Of course." He lowered his voice. "But don't worry, it isn't dangerous this time..." 

Shaylee grinned. She was going to have a lot of fun here. 

~*~*~**~*~*~ 

"Wow..." Hermione breathed as she entered the Malfoy Manor. The first thing she saw was the grand staircase (Think Beauty and the Beast, Clueless, or the prom's staircase in 10 Things I Hate About You). It had expensive looking wood with gold trimming. 

Draco couldn't help but smile. "Hermione, it's a staircase. Really, it's not that great." 

Hermione half-glared at her boyfriend. "You're just saying that because you're a spoiled rich kid." 

He grinned at her and slid his arm around her waist. "I'll give you the grand tour and then we'll see if we can find mother." 

He led her upstairs first. "All of the rooms down that hallway are guest rooms," he said, then led her to the left. 

"This is your room," Draco told her, opening a door. The room was full of classical looking furniture, all in a golden color. "It's beautiful," Hermione said, smiling up at Draco and running a hand admiringly over the arm of an elegant looking chair. 

"It's the most Gryffindor looking room in the manor. Plus, there's a door to a bathroom that's attached to my room, so we can talk whenever we want. Also..." 

He walked across the room to another door. "There's this." 

Draco threw the door open and an astonished smile broke out on Hermione's face. 

Staring right at her was a huge room of shelves full of books. 

"Your family owns all of these?" Hermione said, still just standing there, gazing through the doorway at the multitude of books. 

"And that's not all," Draco said, leading her through the door. "There are two levels." He gestured to a staircase that led down to a lower floor with just as many books. 

"Oh, this is wonderful, Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, looking around in wonder. 

Draco gazed, for a few moments, at Hermione's beaming face. He put his arm around her waist and started to pull her out of the library. "I know how much you want to stay in here, but we'll spend time here later. We need to see the rest of the house first." 

Hermione reluctantly stepped out of the library with one last glance towards the shelves.   


Most of the rooms in the upper floors were bedrooms or sitting rooms that Draco passed by without displaying, ensuring Hermione that they were terribly boring. They finally found themselves down on the ground floor, where Draco showed her the two dining rooms (one for breakfast, and the other for other meals), which led to the kitchen and the House Elves' Quarters (he was sure she would use that information to sneak away sometime and talk to the elves). He also showed her the indoor Swimming Pool. 

After seeing this, Hermione was feeling a lot better about the remainder of vacation. 

Draco showed her many other rooms in the house, but Hermione couldn't help noticing a rather large door at the end of the main hallway that Draco didn't mention. 

"Mother is probably in the garden. I'm sure you'd enjoy her plants." 

Hermione grinned, noticing the way he conveniently added in things that he knew would distract her. She leaned up against him as he led her out of the front door again and started to cut through the grass towards a large greenhouse. "So, what is it that I'm not supposed to be thinking about?" 

He looked down at her with a fake glare. "Oh, do shut up, Miss Smarty Pants." 

Hermione giggled. "You're starting to talk like me. And, do you normally walk through your lawn? I thought rich people were in love with their grass..." 

Draco looked puzzled. "Where in the world did you get that idea?" 

Hermione giggled. "_Princess Diaries._" 

"What in Merlin's name is that?" 

"Never mind. It's a muggle thing," Hermione dismissed the question as they neared the greenhouse. 

"Mother?" Draco called as he opened the door to the garden. 

It was a few moments later when a voice came from the back. "Draco, I'm back here." 

Draco took Hermione's hand and led her through an aisle of plants where they saw Narcissa Malfoy elegantly holding a pair of pruning shears. 

Narcissa looked up from her plant and her face lit up when she saw her son. 

"Oh, Draco!" she exclaimed as she peeled off her gloves and set them on a table along with the shears. "It's so wonderful to have you back home again," she said, taking him into a huge hug. 

"And this is Hermione Granger, correct?" his mother asked politely, after she was done hugging her son. 

"Yes, mother. I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Hermione. Hermoine, this is Narcissa Malfoy, my mother." 

Hermione beamed at her. "It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy." 

"No, no. Ca;; me Narcissa, please," Narcissa insisted with a small look of distaste, showing her dislike for her surname. 

Hermione smiled her consent and Narcissa turned away momentarily to put away her gardening supplies. When she turned back, she was smiling delicately. "Let's go back to the Manor and sit in the Parlor instead, shall we?" 

~*~*~**~*~*~   
bowsie: good-for-nothing person, often used jokingly. 

I dunno why I ended it there... But, yeah. I guess I just really wanted to get this out. I really _am_ sorry it took so long. I've been having a hard time. Well, thanks to ALL those who reviewed, and especially to those who took it upon themselves to email me and tell me to get my butt in gear!! ^_^   



	44. Brain Fart on the Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I just taught my little 4 year old sister how to talk in a British accent. See, she usually speaks in her hick-ish Indiana accent. This is because my family speaks in a hick-ish Indiana accent and it rubs off on her. This is because we live in hick-ish Indiana. JK Rowling has a British accent. Nobody really sat her down and _taught _her how to use a British accent; she's just British. So, since I always have to pretend when using a British accent, I'm not JK Rowling, whose accent is authentic. 

AN: I feel like Krispi Kreme Doughnuts... Er... Where did that come from? Anyway.... I was going to update sooner this time, but then I got in this really huge fight with my mom, and up and moved to my dad's house. My dad isn't getting a computer until next week, so that was my problem. But, I was really aggravated with myself for not saving my fic on a disk and finishing it up at the Library... But anyway, I'm at mom's house for Mother's Day weekend, so I figured I'd finish up the scene I'd left off on, and post so you wouldn't think I was dead...

* * *

Draco and Hermione had been sitting in one of the Parlors with Draco's mother discussing school for around half an hour when they heard the front door open. Almost immediately after, little footsteps ran by the Parlor door towards the entryway. 

"Father's home," Draco told Hermione quietly as Narcissa eyed the doorway. 

There was muffled yelling from the hallway and soon the little footsteps came again, a little slower and uneven this time. 

Moments later, broad, dignified footsteps breezed by the room. 

"You won't meet him until dinner," Draco informed her as Hermione looked at him quizzically. 

Narcissa suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry to cut our discussion short, but I really must go see your father, Draco." 

Draco nodded at her with a small encouraging smile as she left the room. 

Hermione just looked at Draco with her head tilted. "I'm so confused."

* * *

Shaylee and Severus walked in the back door from outside. Severus had just finished showing Shaylee the small yard, and the children's park down the street. Shaylee's cheeks were red from the cold weather, and she waited a few minutes before taking her coat, gloves, and hat off. When she finally did, she left her scarf on. 

Sissy looked up from the stove as they entered. Her face broke into a grin. "Have fun out there?" she asked her brother mockingly, noticing the pink color of his own cheeks. Severus shrugged. "It's cold." 

"That's what the Winter is usually like, Sev," she answered back swiftly. 

Severus ignored her as he tossed his coat on the coat rack. "Sis, where are we sleeping? We should probably unpack before dinner." 

Cecilia cursed. "Um... There's only one guest room." 

"Shit. I forgot about that," Severus said, frustrated, as Shaylee was looking on amusedly. 

Severus turned to her. "You may have the guest room. I'll take the Living Room." 

Shaylee was about to protest when Cecilia cut in. "Severus Snape! Stop it right now!" she scolded. "Sera will sleep in my room, and you may have hers." 

Severus opened his mouth, but Shaylee slid her hand in front of it. He glared at her, but then sighed and turned to get his shrunken trunk out of his cloak pocket. 

"Follow me," he said to Shaylee. "I'll show you your room."   


* * *

Draco took Hermione back upstairs to get ready for Dinner. "Wear anything to the table, as long as it is not Muggle clothing. Plain dressrobes would probably be the best," he informed her before she entered her room. 

"Thank you for helping, Draco," Hermione said sweetly, giving him a small peck on the mouth before she went in her room to change.

* * *

Shaylee took out her wand and simply waved it to unpack into the drawers provided for her in the guest room. She closed her trunk by hand and plopped down on the bed. The room was done in Slytherin colors, which showed that being Sorted into Slytherin must have been a tradition in the Snape family. The quilt on the bed felt homemade and Shaylee took a mental note to ask Sissy later if she had made it herself. 

She stood up, hearing a door open. She went to open her door, thinking that it was Severus exiting his own room, but instead saw Sebastien and Severino coming out of a room down the hall from her. 

They had been talking before she had opened her door, but stopped as soon as they saw her. Severino's nose wrinkled, but Sebastien glared at him, mentally telling him to shut up. 

"Hi," Bastien said, not very polite himself. 

"Hello, troublemakers," Shaylee answered kindly. "What are you making in there? Maybe I can help?" 

'Rino looked at his brother doubtfully, but Sebastien seemed to be coming up with an idea. "What do you know about creating spells?" 

"It depends. What kind?" 

Severino and Sebastien exchanged a look for one short moment, then turned back to Shaylee. "Follow us," Severino said as they turned around to lead her to their experiment.

* * *

Hermione and Draco paused as they reached the formal Dining Room. 

"He probably won't be in there yet. He usually doesn't seat himself until everyone is there to watch him enter," Draco whispered to her, thinking of his father disdainfully. 

Hermione nodded and Draco opened the door for her, letting her enter first. 

The dining room was decorated simply, but elegantly, and had a long oak table running from one end to the other. There were only four places set at the far side of the table. Draco led Hermione to her seat, holding it out for her as his mother sat across from him, smiling at him approvingly. 

They waited for Lucius to enter. Finally, minutes later, the door to the room opened and Lucius Malfoy strutted in arrogantly, seating himself at the end of the table. 

He waited before he was seated and his staff/wand was leaning against his chair before acknowledging anyone at the table. 

"Narcissa," he said with a short nod. He turned to his son. "And Draco. I see you've returned from the dump that they try to pass off as a school." 

Hermione clenched her mouth shut to keep herself from saying anything. 

"Yes, father. I'm home. And I brought a guest, as I had informed you." 

Lucius looked at Hermione for a few long moments. She saw the small glimmer of mockery in his eyes that was quickly shut out as he nodded towards her as well. 

"Hermione Granger, isn't it?" 

"Yes, fath--" 

"She can speak for herself, can she not?" 

Draco declined from saying anything, but nudged Hermione's foot to tell her to answer. 

"Yes, sir. My name _is_ Hermione Granger, and I am able to speak for myself," she said determinedly with impeccable posture, looking straight into his eyes. 

A demented half-smile came onto Lucius' face as he stared back at her. 

"She is certainly a Gryffindor, Draco. Perhaps that is acceptable in this case." 

After he had said this, he turned to look at a different door situated inconspicuously to the left of his seat. Not one second later, food appeared before them, just as they were used to happening at Hogwarts. 

Draco reached down to squeeze her hand assuredly, signifying that he would explain everything later. 

Hermione put some food on her plate, thankful that her parents had forced her into 'Miss Manners' courses as a child. 

"Do you two have plans for New Years?" Narcissa asked Draco as she delicately held her fork. 

"Not as of yet," Draco answered cautiously. 

She beamed at them. "You should go down to Merlin's Trove. Dahlia told me about the New Years celebration her husband is setting up down there." 

"Let them decide on their own, Narcissa," Lucius intervened quickly. 

Narcissa looked slightly confused, then nodded, mumbling an apology silently. 

"That's quite alright," Hermione said, not wanting her to feel bad for something she did not know about. "I'm sure it is supposed to be a lovely time." 

Narcissa smiled at her briefly, then looked away.

* * *

OK... This chapter was supposed to be MUCH longer, but I just wanted to get it up. I'll have a comp at Dad's house soon, so DON'T FEAR!!! I LOVE EVERYONE!!!!!!! (thanks for reviewing! ) 


	45. Small Surprises

Disclaimer: In my English class, we had a writing final. He gave us a list of topics. The only one I thought I could ramble on 600 words for was "Someone I Admire is…" The first person I thought of was JK Rowling. Then, I thought, "Ashiri, you _always _pick JK Rowling. Who else is there?" I thought about Madeline L'eingle (sp?) and William Shakespeare (I'm naming my first son after him). Maybe even Emily Dickenson (my sister was named after her). There were a lot of people I thought of. But, I didn't know enough about any of those people to write 600 words about them. So, I went ahead with JK Rowling. When I was done, I had 741 words, only about 15 minutes left in the class period, and I still thought of things I could have put in my essay. So, JK Rowling probably could have written 2000 words in that much time, including a bunch of stuff I didn't know. However, mine was 1259 words shorter, and mostly talked about how cool she was, not her breakfast habits. If I was JK Rowling, I probably would have gotten an A plus, rather than a regular A…

AN: OK, my dad has finally gotten the internet, so I will be updating a LOT more. I'm actually almost done. Well, off I go! Sorry about the wait!

BEWARE!!! IT IS SHORT!!!! (Writer's Block Sucks…)

AN2: PoA (MOVIE) SPOILERS: Saw PoA!! I know a lot of people were mad cuz all that was left out, but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was beautiful. And the little additions that Cuaron put in were great and fit perfectly. I really liked Lupin's music and the scene at the beginning with the boys just sitting and joking around. It was cute. OMG!!! Neville has become hot! And Seamus too!! And the twins were the Beatles!!! sigh I loved it…. And I personally think the Firebolt thing was better changed… The only really bad things were that Harry never figured out who Padfoot, Moony, Prongs, and Wormtail were and that it never explained the prophecy (I personally loved Dumbledore's line in the book about giving Trelawney a raise). There's so much I could say about the movie, but I'll let you guys read now…

"So, that means… You're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it…" OK, I really will shut up now…

* * *

Hermione smiled as Draco led her into the Library. "There are only a few Muggle classics over there," Draco said pointing over to a dusty unused corner. "They're only some really old ones that Mother got to 'enrich the library'."

Draco kept talking about the rest of the shelves, but Hermione didn't really notice as she found herself walking towards the corner of Muggle books. __

_The Secret Garden._ _Great Expectations._ _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. _The Canterbury Tales._ She smiled as she skimmed through their titles. If Narcissa Malfoy had picked these selections out herself, Hermione had many compliments on her reading preference.

She hadn't noticed, but Draco had stopped talking, and was now standing a few paces behind her, grinning at her concentration as she studied the books.

Hermione briefly pulled out The Phantom of the Opera, remembering seeing that book on Professor Weasley's desk many times.

Draco came up behind Hermione, encircling her waist with his arms, lightly kissing the side of her neck. She looked back at him. "Sorry. Did you say something?" she asked guiltily.

Draco grinned. "Only useless information. I'm sure you know your Dewey Decimal System by now…"

"Was that sarcastic, sir?" Hermione chided, turning around to face him, with one hand on her hip, holding the book with her other.

"Maybe," Draco answered, dodging the question by giving her an Eskimo kiss.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "You really are a ladies' man, you know? It's obvious how you always get your way."

Draco grinned childishly. "Of course I do. With this face, who could ever resist me?"

"Someone who likes modest guys?" Hermione teasingly suggested. Draco smiled down at her and grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. Hermione dropped the book in surprise and put her arms around his neck to steady herself. After a moment to realize where she was and how she had gotten there, Hermione glared up at Draco.

"Jerk. But I have to admit, that was smooth."

"I've had a lot of practice," Draco replied with a cocky grin.

"And believe me, I don't want to know," Hermione answered back, definitely not wanting any details, and knowing Draco, he'd probably tell her every one.

"I was just kidding, Hermione," Draco said in a fake exasperated tone.

Hermione smiled, not completely believing him, but willing to fake it anyway. She leaned up and kissed him lightly.

Draco, however, was not going to settle for just that. Hermione shrieked softly as Draco swung her up and sat her beside him on the loveseat. "Miss Hermione Granger," he began in a mock serious voice. "Our research has found out some very important information pertaining to a certain young man's happiness…"

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "Really? What might that be?" The sarcastic look on Draco's face faded into something more serious as he answered her. "I'm in love with you."

The smile on Hermione's face grew slowly. "I'm in love with you, too."

* * *

Shaylee grabbed the book off of the top of her trunk and crept across the hallway to Sera's (but for the time being, Severus') room. She had her hand up to knock on the door when it opened.

"Holy sh-" Shaylee covered her mouth before she could finish, knowing that there were children just down the hall. She glared at Severus. "You know what I want to call you," she said angrily to him, slightly disappointed that she couldn't cuss him out just then.

A sly smile came on to his face. "I'm very well aware what you want to call me. And I'm also very well aware that you can't- no… That you _won't_ call me anything with little kiddies down the hall," he teased.

Shaylee's eyes narrowed, then a laugh escaped her lips. "Did I just hear Severus Snape say 'kiddies'?"

Severus shrugged and went out into the hallway, closing his door behind him. "If you have to ask…" he started, but didn't finish.

Shaylee just glared at him, then turned around and headed back to her room, assuming that they'd be reading in her room that night.

Shaylee grinned secretly as she stood in front of her door.

"What did you do this time?"

"Nothing…" Shaylee responded innocently, opening her door.

As Severus looked in her room from the hallway, he didn't notice anything. It wasn't until he stepped into her room that he noticed it.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake… Why in the world did you bring it with you?"

Sitting in the corner of her room was Shaylee's green beanbag.

Shaylee grinned coyly up at him. "Why do you think?"

Severus just shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Evil temptress…"

* * *

Miles away at the Burrow, the Weasley family, along with Harry, was sitting in the Living Room, putting the finishing touches on the tree.

Molly was sitting on the coach with her husband, watching her children _and_ honorary child jostle each other playfully to get to the undecorated spots of the tree. All of the Weasley children were going to be home for the holidays. Charlie and Percy had already arrived and Bill was coming the next day, Christmas Eve.

Most of the family stood back from the tree to admire their handiwork. The twins were still trying to maneuver their way between the wall and the tree to put some ornaments on the hidden side.

"If that's not a sure fire way to make the tree fall, I don't know what is…" Arthur complained, but didn't get up to stop it.

After Fred and George emerged triumphantly from behind the tree, Arthur and Molly stood up. Arthur waved his wand at the star, which was sitting on the side table. The star floated up and towards the Christmas tree.

Harry had never spent his Christmas at the Weasley house before, and gaped at the star as everyone else just watched their father levitate it to the top of the tree. The star was strangely shimmering both gold and silver at the same time and had small glittery clouds of dust hovering around it, as if it were a real star.

"It's been in the family for a couple of generations," Ginny informed him, coming up behind him and making him jump slightly. "The youngest child always gets it, but since the youngest child has been a boy every time, I don't know if it's Ron who gets it, or if I do."

"It's really beautiful," Harry said, still gazing at the star, and still in shock from being snuck up on.

There was an awkward silence and Harry realized that he hadn't really spoken to Ginny one-on-one since the Halloween Masquerade.

"Um… Ginny…" he began, but then realized that no one else in the room was talking. A quick check showed that they weren't listening to him, but admiring the tree. "I need to talk to you later…" he said quickly, still not wanting to be overheard, just in case.

Ginny nodded. "I'll remember." With that said, Harry and Ginny joined the family in admiring their handiwork.

* * *

Remember, I started writing this before the 5th book. This is when they are in 5th year, so the 5th book never happened. Percy isn't evil here.

* * *

It's short… Deal with it. I have figured out where the chapters are all going until the… crap… I can't tell you…. Um… I've figured out what the chapters are all going to be like, up until the climax. That works. So, the updates might speed up… Maybe not. Remember, I have Summer School (Driver's Ed) starting on Monday… It's an easy course, so I wouldn't worry much. But if I don't appear for a year, I probably crashed and died.


	46. Christmas Eve

Disclaimer: I have taken a tally on what all I actually own (what I have bought with my own money). This would be a bunch of pictures I had developed, 1 shoe (I lost its match) and a bunch of Harry Potter posters. While you might be interested in the posters, the pictures and shoe will have no value to you, so there is no use in suing me. And, I think JK Rowling has more than that… I, for instance, do not own a mansion. She does. 

AN: LOL. I got Writer's Block on the first scene, so I just wrote little bits of scenes when something came to me, then put it in an order that made sense. I hope it makes sense to you guys too!! 

AN2: In the next two chapters, you'll find that the presents are the same (mostly) as what is mentioned in the 5th book. I figured that it'd be a little more real and easier than having to spend 20 minutes thinking up a strange word to use.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve and after an agonizingly long breakfast, Draco and Hermione bundled up and went outside to watch the progress of the snow that had begun earlier that morning. 

Draco led her up a rather steep hill to where there was a pile of large rocks. They sat on a flat boulder low to the ground, huddled together to keep warm. 

"It's beautiful…" Hermione whispered, admiring the view of Malfoy Manor and the sprawling property that came with it. 

"I've always loved my family's house," Draco told her with a reminiscent smile. "I used to play hide and seek in all the little rooms up in the attic when Vince and Greg came over with their dads. I thought I'd stop enjoying it when I came back this Christmas, but I was wrong." 

Hermione smiled at his childish adoration for the place he grew up. 

"Did you know that Malfoy Manor, minus my father's wing, was actually built by the only Malfoy to not be a supporter of evil, and with legitimate money?" He seemed proud of this fact. 

Hermione smiled, but didn't say anything, content to listen to her boyfriend's happy ramblings. 

"You would have gotten along with Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather Hephaestus. He didn't keep any House Elves, and was very well known for helping get equality for different species." Draco paused and added, "He was mostly left out of any books on Malfoy family history. The only reason he's in any at all is for building Malfoy Manor." 

"I wonder if you'll still be in those books," Hermione teased. Draco grinned. "Who cares? Besides, if they take me out, there won't be any more Malfoys. Father's only brother was disowned ages ago." 

"What about your mother's side of the family?" 

Draco chuckled. "Father only married mother because she had the Black family name, but he hates the Blacks. He'd rather have the Manor become abandoned than give it to the Blacks, not that there are many left who aren't imprisoned." 

"Oh, yes… I had read somewhere that the two families were related. I wasn't going to tell Harry, though. He would definitely not be happy about that." 

"It's not exactly the same as blood relation, but I didn't really care for it either when I found out a few years ago. It didn't help that everyone thought Sirius Black was a murderer. Everyone associated with the Dark Lord knew the truth." 

Hermione's face turned into a wry smile. "It's weird hearing you talk about what you were like before. It's even worse thinking about how much I hated you back then." 

Draco laughed. "Yeah. I'm not proud of it, but I sure was an asshole…" 

"_Was_?" Hermione replied teasingly. 

Draco glared at her. Before Hermione knew what was happening, she had a snowball hitting her side. She whipped around to see Draco running away from her with a devious grin on her face. 

Hermione immediately stood up and scooped up some snow with revenge in mind. She formed the snowball in her hands while she ran towards the small group of trees behind the rocks they had been sitting on. 

She watched as Draco stopped running, then turned around to see where she had gone. 

She held back her laughs as Draco walked around the pile of rocks a couple of times. He then looked up at the trees and she saw the realization in his eyes as he started walking towards them. 

Hermione watched as he came closer to her hiding spot. She waited until he was only a step away from her and then stepped out from behind the tree, snowball in hand. 

"HA!" she screamed triumphantly as she thrust the snowball into his face. 

"Holy sh-…" 

Hermione laughed as she turned and fled to hide safely behind some of the rocks. 

"Hermione! You little witch!" 

She stopped and turned around with a smile as Draco appeared to give up. 

"That's quite a complement from you," she teased as she sat next to him, back where they had been sitting in the first place. 

Draco gave her a half-hearted glare. "I already admitted to being an asshole. What else do you want?" He paused. "Wait. Don't answer that." 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You are such a per--" She didn't get to finish her sentence as Draco decided that it was a nice time to tackle her off of the rock. 

"Draco! You _are_ an asshole!" she screamed as she rolled down the hill while Draco was lying on his back at the top of the hill, gasping with laughter. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

"I'm taking Sera outside for a bit. Anyone wanna come?" Sissy called up the stairs. She stepped aside as the stampede thundered down the stairs, grabbing gloves and coats as they reached the bottom. 

"Can we go over to Derek's house, mom? Please?" Sebastien asked pleadingly as soon as he had his coat zipped up. 

"I don't know. Can you?" Sissy replied as she supervised Sera putting her mittens on. Sebastien sighed and Severino continued for him. "May we go to Derek's house please?" 

"You may go over and ask if he's allowed to come outside and play. But don't go inside. I don't want you bugging Mrs. Finley." 

The two boys grinned and opened the door to leave as soon as they were bundled up. 

"Wait, boys! Come here for a second!" 

The two boys turned around and looked at her solemnly, as though they knew they were going to be told rules that they wanted to break. "You two had better be good. We live in a Muggle community and if I get another letter from the Ministry of Magic, you won't be allowed to see the light of day until you start school." Sebastien elbowed Severino mockingly while their mother spoke to them, as he was older and would be able to "see the light of day" sooner than his younger brother would. The two boys then looked up and nodded solemnly at their mother and sped out the door. 

Shaylee tugged her hat over her head and as she was pulling on her coat, she looked around. "Where's Sevvy?" she asked Cecelia. 

"I'm right here," Severus answered, coming out of the kitchen with something in his mouth. Sissy looked up and glared at him. "Severus Snape, that had better not be what I think it is." 

Severus ignored her and turned around to put his own black coat on. "Severus! No more! Those cookies are for the neighbors!" 

Shaylee tried, but she couldn't hold back the mocking grin. "Aw… Does Little Sevvy have a sweet tooth?" 

Severus glared right back at her. 

"Unkie Sevwus?" 

Severus turned his glare into a grin as he looked at his niece. 

"Mbake an angel wit mbe?" 

"Sure, Sera." Severus took her by the hand and went outside with her, sending a warning glare at Shaylee on the way. 

Shaylee shook her head. Did he really think she would tell anyone at Hogwarts? She rather liked this side of him, but she knew he loved his reputation for being evil too much to destroy that. 

… Besides, blackmail was too valuable to get rid of without using it. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 

"Watch out!" Ginny screamed, laughing, at Harry. 

Too late. He had been pelted by a dozen bewitched snowballs sent by the twins. 

As soon as Harry recovered, he turned around and glared at them. "If I was allowed to use my wand…" "We wouldn't have provoked you, of course!" Fred chipped in with a grin. 

His twin pulled him back as a handmade snowball thrown by Harry whizzed right past his head. 

"Code Periwinkle! I repeat: Code Periwinkle!" George jokingly screamed as he jumped behind a large pile of snow. 

"Cheaters…" Ron muttered as he quickly began stacking up snow for their own wall of defense. 

"Harry, you help Ron with the fort and I'll get the twins," Ginny ordered bravely. A small blush entered Harry's cheeks as his eyes met Ginny's. He thought briefly again of his need to have the conversation with Ginny, but she turned away before he could say anything and he quickly turned to oblige. 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

"What are you showing me?" 

"I'm not telling, no matter how many times you ask," Draco answered Hermione's question with a grin. 

It was now about 9:30 at night and Draco was leading Hermione somewhere in the Manor for a "surprise". 

They were at the main entrance and Draco turned left instead of going on outside. They were now in a hallway with a single pair of huge doors at the end. 

"We're almost there," Draco told her as they got closer to the door. 

They stopped as they reached the door. "Presenting," Draco said as he put his hands on each door handle, "the 1995 Malfoy family Christmas tree…" 

"Oh…" Hermione barely had time to say before the doors opened, revealing a gigantic Christmas tree in the middle of a huge room. 

The tree was just as amazing as any in Hogwarts, possibly even better. It was decorated with real faerie lights of different colors, as well as glowing and sparkling ornaments in varied sizes and shapes. The shape of the tree was perfect and a soft evergreen smell was floating through the room. 

"Wow…" Hermione stepped in the room and looked around at the other decorations. There was holly draped on the walls throughout the whole room, with poinsettias and mistletoe placed in random spots. 

Draco watched her with a grin, then stepped forward so that he was next to her. 

"Beautiful, isn't it? Father allows us to decorate the Ballroom for Christmas, so long as he doesn't have to see it." He laughed at this, but Hermione turned towards him, puzzled. 

"So where do you unwrap presents?" 

"The House Elves sort them out and put them in our rooms. I'm really the only one who gets anything. Well, Mother and Father might get each other something. I don't really know…" 

Hermione still looked a little puzzled. "So, you celebrate Christmas morning alone?" 

Draco nodded and shrugged. "Well, until breakfast, anyway." 

"There's a formal breakfast on Christmas morning?" Hermione asked incredulously, thinking of the stiff, boring meals she had experienced so far at Malfoy Manor. 

She shook her head and started again before Draco could answer her. "So what's this room decorated for then?" 

"To impress any guests," Draco admitted with a grin. 

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I'm impressed. You've done your job, room," she said to the walls. 

Draco cleared his throat and when Hermione looked back at him, he was wearing a look that said he thought she was insane. "If you would like, we could spend Christmas morning in here. Well, as long as you talk to me and not the decorations…" 

Hermione glared at him for a short moment, then smiled. "That would be much better." 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 

"To the right… Your other right, eejit!" Shaylee said, "helping" Severus situate the tree in the Living Room. 

"I know that, Fairy Princess," Severus retorted. "If it goes any farther to the right, it's going to be sitting on top of me." 

"Then move! It's not that hard!" 

"If I move, I'll have to let go. And I don't exactly think we want a tree lying in the middle of the floor." 

"In all your years as a Potions Master, have you forgotten how to use your wand?" 

Severus was silent for a moment, and Shaylee grinned, knowing that she had won. 

"You are really aggravating, you know that?" Severus said, coming out from behind the tree with pine needles in his hair as the tree stood still. 

Shaylee giggled at this picture. "Thanks." 

Severus glared at her and brushed most of the needles out of his hair before he took the tree again and moved it closer to the wall. 

"Perfect," Sissy said from the doorway. 

She walked in holding a box and set it down on the coffee table. 

"I told Sera that the sooner she fell asleep, the sooner Saint Nicholas would come, so she's out like a light." 

Severus smiled at this as he sat on the couch by Shaylee and opened the box, revealing stacks of ornaments, both hand-made and antique glass ones. 

"I'll put the lights on," Cecelia said as Severus pulled out random ornaments and started looking at them. 

"Why did you get all of Mother's decorations?" he asked as Cecelia levitated the lights around the Christmas tree. 

She looked at him briefly with her eyebrows raised. "Cause I was her daughter…" 

"Well, I was the oldest." 

"Hey, you got the house. Don't complain." Sissy finished with the lights, the Muggle kind, and started putting garland on as Severus kept looking through the ornaments. 

"You have a house?" Shaylee asked Severus, thoroughly surprised. She had thought him more of the one bedroom apartment kind of guy. 

"Yeah. A blue farmhouse with a red barn and a white picket fence." 

For a moment, Shaylee thought he was joking. After he didn't add anything, however, she saw he was serious. "Wow. I see why you don't live there. Um… I don't think…" 

Severus laughed. "No, I don't live there. I check on it occasionally, but 'Little Miss Cecelia' won't let me sell it." He glared at his sister, but Shaylee could tell that he didn't hold this against her. 

"I bet if you painted it black, you'd like it," Shaylee teased. 

"No, I'm fine with the house. It's the stupid picket fence…" 

"Why don't you take the fence down then?" 

Severus was silent, but Cecelia answered for him as she came over and helped empty the box. 

"Sev was a Momma's Boy." That earned her a glare. 

Shaylee listened with a grin. 

"He was the most protective son a Mother could hope for. A real chivalrous type." Cecilia leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "But that's perfectly OK. Mammy loved that." 

Shaylee smiled over at Severus, but he was separating the glass ornaments from the handmade ones and wasn't looking up. 

"Boys! Bring the cookies in here and you can help with your ornaments." 

Bastien and 'Rino walked in from the kitchen, carrying a plate with cookies on it. They immediately handed it to Severus, which ruined the serious moment and made Shaylee crack up and the teasing began again. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

Ron and Harry were sitting in Ron's room, wrapping presents in the paper that Mrs. Weasley had provided for them for that purpose. 

"What'd you get for Hermione, Harry?" Ron asked as he wrestled with a bit of twine he was using to tie the wrapping on the twins' presents. 

"A book," Harry answered shortly. "Couldn't think of anything else." 

Ron snickered at this, then stopped as he appeared to be in thought. 

"So, if you got Hermione a book, what were you doing in that girly store when we went shopping the other day?" 

Harry's face turned pink, but he hid it by pretending to concentrate on tying the string around _New Theory of Numerology_. "Browsing…" he answered in as innocent of a voice he could muster. 

"Right," Ron said, grinning at Harry. "It's for Ginny, isn't it mate?" 

"Not telling," Harry answered simply, turning to grab another present to wrap. 

"Aw, come on! It's not like it's a secret anymore! It's just my sister, not You-Know-Who's daughter or anything… Not that any girl'd shack up with him long enough to have a kid…" 

"Ron! That's just wrong!" Harry glared at him. 

"Well?" Ron responded with a laugh. "Tell me, then." 

Harry just shook his head and Ron made a pouty face. "I wanna know…" He paused as Harry glared at him again. "Pwetty pwease?" 

Harry couldn't hold a serious face for long with Ron looking at him like that, so he gave up. "Fine, I'll tell you if you just stop it with the stupid face." 

The pout immediately flew off of Ron's face and was replaced by a triumphant grin. "Now where were we?" 

"You were ruining my life," Harry answered finishing with Sirius' present and setting it aside. 

"It's just a present. I won't tell her! I just want a hint…" 

"Guess. There's a hint," Harry said darkly. 

Ron laughed. "Come on! I'm not mad because you like her…. Does it really matter what you got her for Christmas?" 

Harry narrowed his eyes at Ron. "To me it does…" 

"Aw, come on Harry, it's a girl. It's not like you guys are even dating yet!" Ron stopped and Harry could almost see the lightbulb appear over his friend's head. 

Harry was bracing himself for the worst when Ron had the exact opposite reaction from what he had been expecting; Ron started laughing. 

"You're--" He had to gasp for air, he was laughing so hard. "You're gonna ask my baby sister out!" he howled. 

Harry didn't see what was so funny. "Um… Yeah…" He watched Ron laugh more before he started again. "Ron? Are you OK?" 

Ron was lying on his bed, holding his stomach, still laughing. "You thought I'd be mad?" He erupted into even more laughter. 

"I'm starting to think you are, but in a different sense," Harry responded, though the giddiness was starting to spread itself to him also, and a smile was quickly growing on his face. 

The loud laughs were lowering down to brief chuckles and Ron told him, "Harry, I've been wanting you to get together with Ginny all along. You're the only guy I trust with her. I meant what I said on the train, even if you weren't listening; I'm perfectly fine with you two, as long as you obey the 'Protective Brother Speech'." 

"Great," Harry said with a sarcastic grin. "I can have the girl, but I can't do anything…" 

Ron's laughter stopped immediately and he glared up at Harry. "That's not funny." 

Harry's smile shrunk and he opened his mouth to apologize, but Ron grinned. "Wait… Yes it is!" With that said, he started laughing again, Harry smiling warily along with him. 

"You're such a git, Ron." Harry picked up a pillow sitting beside him and threw it towards Ron, pushing him back from his spot on the bed and causing him to teeter precariously on the side of the bed. 

"Boys," Mrs. Weasley called from downstairs. "What in the world are you doing up there?" 

**_Thunk_**

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

Heehee. Everytime I wrote the word 'laugh' I started cracking up… Yeah, it took me a while to write the last scene. 

Well, anywho, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm going to Kentucky again for the Summer, but I'm bringing my fic with me and I have the next two chapters outlined exactly what's gonna be in them, so I'll try to get it up ASAP. I definitely want Troubled Waters finished before school starts. Well, I'll try as hard as I can! I'll even go work on it now, since I have nothing else to do. R/R!!!


	47. Christmas Morning

Disclaimer: Go to JKRs website-- the addy is in my profile--(The 6th book title is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, btw. It's a really good site. It's actually JKR writing it all) You will find out that JKR is really good at the game Minesweepers. Well, frankly, I suck at Minesweepers. I really like the game. It's loads of fun. I don't think it's humanly possible to count how many times I've played it. However, I've only won twice. And that was on the Beginner level. She wins on Expert level and has an extremely good time record. That is definitely NOT me. 

AN: I was reading this chappy and I just realized it's completely screwed up. It's kinda sad that I just realized it, when I posted it last Summer... LOL 

Draco woke up on Christmas morning still delirious with psychotic visions of sugar plums in some sort of a primitive ritual dance. He mostly credited this to the unnatural amount of eggnog he had consumed before retiring to bed the night before. The fact that Hermione had forced him to sit and read The Night Before Christmas with her might have had something to do with it also. 

He sat up, grudgingly vowing to never again have eggnog and bizarre Muggle Christmas stories in the same night. 

"Happy Christmas!" a hyper voice cried from the foot of his bed. 

"Holy shit!" Draco yelled, jumping about a foot out of his bed. 

"Hermione! Never do that again," he said, earning a giggle from Hermione, who was sitting cross-legged on the foot of his bed, still wearing her blue pajama shorts and tank top. 

"Nice boxers, Draccy-poo," Hermione teased with a grin as Draco grabbed a wrinkled white shirt off of the floor and slipped it on. 

"Thanks," he said insincerely as he stood up and stretched. "How long have you been sitting there?" 

"Oh, about fifteen minutes. I didn't want to wake you up; I was enjoying the view." 

Draco turned back to her with an eyebrow raised. "So, I'm the pervert, am I?" 

Hermione glared at him. "Not just that. I was looking at your room." 

Draco looked around and immediately saw what she meant. Besides the four poster bed similar to Hogwarts' beds, the fireplace and the authentic Victorian furniture, he had a normal bedroom for a teenage wizard. 

It was all in Slytherin colors and was decorated with Slytherin banners and Quidditch posters. His 8 foot tall bookcase held mainly old school books or Standard Potions and DADA manuals. There was a Potions set sitting in the corner under a framed family portrait and there was a container of Floo Powder next to the fireplace, along with a Wizarding Radio. 

Hermione looked amused. "In Muggle terms, you have your own phone, library, entertainment center and laboratory in your room. That, my dear, means you are a spoiled brat." 

Draco grinned sheepishly, but nodded in agreement. 

"Well, it's my turn to make you my spoiled girlfriend. Are you ready to go down to the ballroom?" 

Five minutes later, the two were walking down the hallway to the ballroom, stifling their giggles. 

"I must say, I have never walked around the Manor in my pajamas," Draco admitted. 

"Not even when you were little?" 

"My nurse never let me out of my room unless I was dressed." 

"So many pointless rules..." Hermione commented as they reached the door. 

Draco shrugged. "I'm used to it. But we're breaking them right now, aren't we?" he said with a grin as he opened the doors, revealing the tree once again, but with many gift wrapped additions surrounding it. 

Hermione gasped. "All of these for just your family?" 

Draco laughed. "Actually, Mother and Father already have theirs. I instructed the elves to leave our presents here." 

Hermione looked at him incredulously. "So, all of these are for us two?" 

He nodded as he led her into the room and closed the door. "Not all of yours are from me, though. I'm sure Moppy and Tinky put the ones from other people here also." 

They walked up to the tree and Draco conjured up some fluffy looking pillows ("There's a ward around the property, so I can do magic still," he explained) for them to sit on. 

"Well, dig in, I suppose," he said with a shrug, reaching for a green present with his own name on it. 

Grinning, Hermione did just that. First, she grabbed a present wrapped in the sloppy form she recognized. 

"From Ron, I get..." Hermione opened the gift, revealing a strangely shaped bottle containing perfume. She sprayed a bit on her wrist and Draco leaned over and smelled it, then turned away as he gagged. 

"Some really nasty perfume..." he finished for her. 

Hermione giggled as she read the note that came with it. "Evidently, it only smells bad to guys who are physically attracted to the wearer." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Remind me to kill him." 

Twenty-five presents later, Hermione was finally out of presents to unwrap. Draco had also made his way through his presents, setting aside most of them to investigate later. 

"I have two more presents for you," he said, watching her as she set New Theory of Numerology beside her carefully. 

"Draco! You shouldn't have gotten me so much!" 

Draco shrugged. "I didn't really put much thought into the ones you already opened. These two are special." 

Hermione sighed exasperatingly, but didn't argue. "Well, I still have your gift that I haven't given to you yet." 

Draco smiled and held out a long un-wrapped jewelry box. Hermione took it with a puzzled look towards Draco's smiling face and lifted the lid. 

Blinking back at her was a gold heart shaped locket. There was a ruby and an emerald side by side in the center of the heart. "Draco... It's gorgeous..." she breathed as she took it out of the box. 

Draco took it from her and helped her fasten it around her neck. "It's not..." 

"Real gold? Yeah. Only the best!" 

Hermione tried to scold him, but it didn't work. 

Draco grinned cockily. "And your second present..." Draco looked up at the fireplace. "Moppy, come here please!" Hermione looked at her boyfriend, confused, a look that multiplied by ten as a House Elf entered the room. 

"Hermione, this is Dobby's mother." 

A smile replaced the confused look on her face and she addressed the quivering House Elf. "Hello, Moppy," she said kindly. "I'm a friend of your son's. He wanted me to tell you how he was doing." 

The House Elf said nothing, just looked from Draco to Hermione, then back again. 

"Dobby is very happy where he is. He likes working for Dumbledore," Hermione continued. 

"We is not allowed to like Albus Dumbledore. Dobby is a bad elf." 

"Dobby is free. He likes being free." 

Moppy looked worried. "He is sick?" 

A smile cracked in Draco's face and Hermione glared at him. 

"No. He is very well. And happy. Very happy being free." Hermione couldn't possibly stress the point any harder. 

"He- he is treated well by this Albus Dumbledore?" Moppy asked cautiously, shooting suspicious glances at Draco. 

"Yes. He gets paid and good foo-" 

"Paid?" Moppy interrupted incredulously. "Why is they disgracing my Dobby like that? Us elves not needs paying!" 

"Dobby is happy being paid," Hermione insisted. 

Moppy hesitated. "Is his master happy with Dobby's work?" 

Hermione was a bit confused on the purpose of this question, but she answered. "Of course. Dumbledore is very happy with all of Hogwarts' House Elves." 

Moppy was silent. After a few moments, she bowed to Hermione and Draco humbly. "I thanks you, Master and Mistress. Please tell Dobby I is well and I is missing him." She didn't wait for a response before she turned to leave through the fire. 

"Well, here's your present, Draco. It won't compete with what you gave me, but..." 

Draco put a finger over her lips to silence her. "All that matters is that it is from you." 

Hermione smiled and handed him a neatly wrapped rectangular package. 

"Ah... Of course... A book..." 

Hermione smiled innocently. "Just open it." 

Draco rolled his eyes, but carefully unwrapped the paper and read the title out loud. "Lumos vs. Light switch: The Wizards Guide to Meeting Muggles." 

"I figured that a Malfoy wouldn't want to make a fool of himself when he met his girlfriend's parents." 

Draco grinned. "You were correct, of course. But when do I get to have this honor?" 

"When I decide you're presentable..." Hermione answered with a mocking grin. 

"Ouch. But, I suppose that makes sense, seeing that you're Hermione Granger..." 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The past four years I've told my parents that you are the scum of the universe. You just need to prove me wrong." 

"Can't you just un-tell them?" 

"No. That'd make things easier for you." 

Draco mock glared at her. "Why do I put up with you?" 

Hermione smiled at him, then leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. 

"Ah... Yes, thanks for reminding me." 

"Harry! Wake up!" 

Harry bolted up, surprised. "Ron! It's 5 o'clock in the morning!" 

"5 o'clock Christmas morning!" Ron added. 

Harry was silent. "Oh.. Yeah..." 

"Well? Let's go! The twins are getting everyone else up." 

There was a furious "George! Get out of my room!" from a few floors down and Harry nodded. "I hear that." 

When the two boys got downstairs, they found Fred laughing at his twin. "She threatened to Bat-Bogey him, and he believed it." 

Ron rolled his eyes. "She wouldn't use magic in the holidays. Mum would kill her." 

George glared at him. "Have you ever had her put a Bat-Bogey on you?" He shuddered with a memory. Fred was about to say something when their mother entered the room in a colorfully patched robe. 

"Happy christmas, children!" she said, beaming. 

"Happy Christmas, mum," the twins and Ron answered innocently, as if they had never been talking about Ginny's hexing ability. "Happy Christmas, Mrs. Weasley," Harry added. 

The three older boys appeared at the bottom of the stairs, all still in their pajamas, and Bill's hair fully tangled and messed up. 

"Morning, everyone," Percy said, rubbing his eyes groggily. "I really don't see the purpose of getting up at un-godly hours in the morning, just to receive trivial material objects..." 

Fred rolled his eyes. "Hey, Perc, we have two things to say to you. Firstly, shove it." 

Percy glared at him and George, recovered from the scare Ginny had given him, continued, "And secondly, you have a present from Penelope sitting over there under the tree." 

"Oh. Oh, thank you. Jolly day, Christmas, don't you agree?" 

Harry, confused looked at Ron who was trying to hold back his laughter, and getting the hiccups for his efforts. 

There were thumps on the stairs, and Ginny appeared, still in her pajamas (plaid boxer shorts with a black T-shirt) but with her hair brushed and in a loose pony-tail. She had a smile on her face, and obviously had a better mood than when George had tried to wake her up. 

"Good morning and Merry Christmas, everyone!" she said cheerfully. 

Mrs. Weasley gave her a hug in reply. "Isn't this nice, having the whole family here for Christmas?" 

"Um... Mum?" 

"Oh. Sorry, dear," she apologized, realizing her hug was choking her daughter. 

Mr. Weasley walked through the door, holding two cups of coffee. 

"Here you are, Molly," he said, handing his wife one of the mugs. 

"Thank you dear. Now, let's all get together in front of the tree." 

"We take a Christmas family photo every year," Ron explained in a whisper as all ten of them gathered together in front of the Christmas tree. 

Mr. Weasley set a rather large, old-fashioned looking camera up on a tri-pod in front of them. 

"Everyone set?" He surveyed the group through the lens. 

"Bunch up there, Harry. Yes, a bit closer to Ginny." 

A tiny snicker escaped Ron, earning him a glare from Harry as he indeed moved closer to Ginny. 

"All right, everyone?" Mr. Weasley fiddled with a contraption on the camera, then hurried to join his family just in time for the blinding flash. 

"Presents!" Fred shouted as soon as the picture was taken. 

Everyone else also seemed unnaturally excited and immediately started pouncing on their gifts. 

Percy, normally a picture of restraint, was demolishing the wrapping paper on the formerly wrapped gift from his girlfriend. 

Ginny was the only one not absorbed in opening presents. She smiled with an embarrassed laugh as she explained to Harry. "It's pretty much every Weasley for himself on Christmas morning..." 

"OK... So how do I get to the gifts?" Harry asked as she sat down on the loveseat instead of heading for the presents. 

"Oh, don't worry. They'll find their way to you. It's good you're a Seeker, anyway." 

Only a few short moments later, Harry found out what she meant. 

"Oy, Harry!" Ron called. 

Harry looked up just in time for his Seeker reflexes to stop a present from flying into his face. 

"Uh... Yeah... Thanks," he said to Ginny. 

She shrugged as she also began to unwrap a present that had been tossed to her. 

Harry took the wrapping off of the git, finding a plain black book. He opened it and jumped as the book said in a scolding voice, "Do it today or later you'll pay!" 

Ginny giggled. "From Hermione, right? 

Harry nodded and rolled his eyes. "Who else?" 

A few moments later, as Harry was flipping through a volume of Practical Defensive Magic and It's Use Against the Dark Arts, Ginny poked him in the side to get his attention. 

"Huh?" He looked up. 

"Here's your present from me," she said, handing him a flat rectangular gift. 

"Oh. I have yours, also." Harry reached beside him and handed her a medium-sized square box wrapped in blue paper. 

After they both had their gifts, they opened them at the same time. 

Harry finished first, as it seemed that Ginny had used a little less tape than Harry himself had. 

"Holy sh--" Harry stopped, realizing there was parental supervision. 

He looked down once more at the gift. He saw an old and battered dark blue book with the words 'Property of the Grodzisk Goblins' in the center. Down on the left corner, in smaller print, it said 'Josef Wronski, Seeker'. 

"Josef Wronski's actual play book? How in the world did you get this?" 

Ginny shrugged, halting her own unwrapping. "They were having a silent auction in Diagon Alley this past Summer and I bought it then." 

Harry shook his head, but he was smiling. "Ginevra Weasley, why in the world would you spend so much money on me?" 

Ginny blushed and smiled, but responded mockingly, "Well, you did really need it..." 

Harry's mouth fell open indignantly as Ginny began laughing. 

"No, Harry... I'm only joking. It reminded me of you, I had the money, and everyone else was bidding on the Winbourne Wasps' old training equipment." 

Harry was about to ask her where exactly she had gotten the money, but then Ginny went back to wrestling with Spello-tape and he sat back to watch her face. 

It turned out to be quite a show, actually, as she pulled the white and gold music box out. 

Her eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened in amazement as it first came to view. She held it up to her eyes to inspect the custom artwork on each side. 

Then she opened it. The music started slowly, a Muggle tune she had heard before. The elegant looking angel in the center started spinning. 

"How did you--" 

Harry grinned. "Hermione's my friend too, Ginny. She told me you collected music boxes." 

Ginny shook her head, silently berating yet thanking her friend. She looked down closer to her so that she could read it. 

Meet me in the backyard after dinner. I need to talk to you. 

Ginny smiled, then looked at Harry and nodded. 

Shaylee opened her door the exact same moment Bastien and 'rino bounded out of their joined rooms, screaming, "Presents!" 

They knocked on every door on the way to the staircase, offering Shaylee an excited grin as they went. 

Surprisingly, they stopped at the top of the stairs and waited patiently as two more doors opened while Severus, Cecelia and Sera came out. 

"Alright. Go ahead..." Sissy said as she also reached the stairs and set Sera down. 

The boys thundered down the stairs and Sera followed them, thumping down one step at a time. 

"Ah... Christmas morning... Lovely," tired looking Sissy voiced as she followed her children down the stairs. 

Shaylee followed with an obnoxious grin for Severus, who was groggily rubbing his eyes. 

When he turned towards Shaylee and saw her grinning, he groaned and said, "And I suppose Christmas morning is the only morning you'll ever get up this early..." 

"Yes, very true." 

They reached the Living Room and sat on the love seat while all of the kids were on the floor, looking at the name tags on all the presents, though not opening any yet. 

Sissy appeared in the doorway, holding cups of coffee for the adults. After these were distributed, she sat down on an armchair. "Alright, Sebastien," she said. "Go ahead." 

Sebastien picked up the nearest present and read the tag. "This one's for Sera from Saint Nick," he said, handing his sister the present. 

Two things were surprising Shaylee. Firstly, how in the world did Sissy get her kids to behave well on Christmas morning? The gifts got opened one by one with Bastien narrating the giver and recipient. 

The second thing that surprised her was that the adults (even her!) got presents from Saint Nicholas. Some of her presents from "Santa" included a book with pictures of different places in Ireland, a green yoyo, and a bag of very strong coffee. She was sure Sev had helped pick them out. 

She laughed when she got her joint present from the kids: a knitted hat that matched her own for her teddy bear to wear. 

There were presents from colleagues, relatives, and even a few from some students. Needless to say, Severus didn't receive many gifts from students, and those he got were from Slytherins. He didn't appreciate it, however, when Shaylee got a present from a certain unrelated 7th Year Gryffindor. And no, it was not Mr. Lee Jordan. 

"This is another one for Shaylee," Sebastien read. "From some guy named Scott." 

Shaylee tensed up as she felt Severus staring at her. 

"Well, thanks. But I think I'll open this later, OK boyo?" 

Sebastien shrugged and went on to a different present, but Shaylee could tell Severus was still looking at her. 

"Uncle Severus, this one's from Shay." 

Severus took the gift from his nephew, meanwhile shooting Shaylee a disapproving glare for "corrupting" his family. 

He opened it to find a "book" titled 100 Crazy Things From Shaylee's Mind staring at him. The picture on the cover was of him and Shaylee with the sun and rain cloud over their heads. 

"You have no idea how many letter grades it took to get that picture from Colin Creevey." 

Severus looked at her disapprovingly. Shaylee laughed. "I was only joking!" When he looked away, she continued, "It was just extra credit..." 

He appeared to ignore that statement and opened the book to the index to read the section title out loud. "Memories... Random Facts... Using Useless Spells... A Vin Diagram Comparison... and I'm Serious, Seriously." 

"I figured that it could replace Phantom of the Opera when we finish..." Shaylee smiled demurely at Severus and scooted a bit closer as Severino opened a present. 

Severus' hand slipped down to the couch and slowly reach out to grasp Shaylee's. She blushed, but squeezed his hand back. 

Severino gave his mom an unenthusiastic smile of thanks for his new jumper and socks she had given him. Shaylee could tell that Sissy was trying to hold back a laugh. Not wanting her children to see her smile, she looked towards her brother and Shaylee and saw their clasped hands. Her smile, which had been slowly decreasing, returned, but this time with a superior air. 

Sebastien was studying a package, looking confused. When Severus saw this he smiled mischievously and said, "Bastien, that one's for Shaylee." 

Sebastien shrugged and passed it to her, his gaze passing over their hands, but he didn't say anything about it. 

Shaylee tokk her hand back and looked at the tag. She rolled her eyes as she saw why Bastien had been confused. The tag read, To: Fairy Princess From: "Sevvy" and you will not use this as blackmail. 

She grinned. "You should know by now not to give ideas..." she muttered to him. 

He rolled his eyes, not believing her. "Just open it already." 

Shaylee slit the wrapping paper (green, of course) and found a small rectangular box. She slid the top open and gasped with delight at what she pulled out. 

Standing on her palm was a miniature fairy figurine. Not only was she beautiful, with an earthy dress much like Shaylee's, but she was enchanted to dance. 

She was dancing ballet on Shaylee's hand right now, and when Shaylee put her down on the coffee table she continued, using her butterfly-like wings for prolonged jumps. 

"It's so..." She gazed at the fairy, trying to think of a word for it. She finally gave up and just threw herself at Severus for a hug. "Oh, Sevvy! Thank you so much It's gorgeous!" 

Sissy was smiling at them knowingly, but when Shaylee glanced her way, she held back her smile and turned to watch her son open a package. 

Severus was surprised at first from Shaylee's hug, but after the initial shock, hugged her back. "You're very welcome, Fairy Princess..." 

That was when Severus got his first feeling of the confusion Shaylee had been going through all along. 

A picture of Lily Evans' smiling face passed through his mind, along with a whopping ton of guilt, confusion, and the agonizing thought that everyone who had thought he had just been living in the past had been right. 

Ginevra is actually Ginny's real full name, courtesy of JKR's site 

OK, I was seriously gonna make this chapter longer... I even had a scene and a half done, but when I was typing this up, I thought that right there was a great place to end. I love being evil. 

Anywho, I'm in Kentucky right now. I've been very busy, helping my cousin move while watching her kids. I finally got this done, though, I suppose. I probably couldn't have done it without my lovely MD Livewire, tho... Well, R/R and ENJOY! 


	48. The Night of Christmas

Disclaimer: OK, on the evenings when I don't hafta babysit and the rest of my family is at work (they all work nights), I just sit in my aunt's room and either watch Vh1 and write, or listen to songs like "F the System" and "Shut up and Sleep with Me", because I seemed to have grabbed a few of my sister's CDs when I was gathering my stuff... LOL. Now, I'm not saying that I don't enjoy my sister's music style (because in all truth, it's thoroughly entertaining), but I don't think that JK Rowling writes under the influence of angry music or "I Love the 90s" (that's the only one I can watch if I want to understand or do any reminiscing at all). I mean, you never know, but she's more the writing under the influence of coffee type of person. (I have made a few improvements by the way... Last night I listened to Ben Folds and watched The Italian Job. If anyone wants to get me to write faster, btw, just get me a Mini Cooper. )  
  
AN: I'm a TOTAL idiot! In an attempt to fix a link I had in chapter 47, I tried to replace the chapter with a new one that I had fixed for it. However, instead of replacing chapter 47, I replaced chapter 1... I was getting a little suspicious when someone reviewed and said my fic made no sense and I sucked... LOL. Ah well... Keeheehee! But, thank you to the reviewer "Me!" for pointing this out to me... Now I just feel enormously stupid.  
  
AN2: Happy Sweet 16 to Jessi! Wish I could be there! BFF!!!!!!   
  


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"Oh! This book is excellent!" Hermione gushed as she pulled a book from the Transfiguration section.  
  
Draco was watching her, amused, from the couch.  
  
"You are truly one of a kind, my dear."  
  
Hermione didn't know whether to take this as an insult or a complement, so she just smiled sweetly and continued browsing.  
  
"Have I told you that you look beautiful today?"  
  
"Three times," Hermione answered absentmindedly as she finally chose a book and brought it with her to sit by Draco.  
  
"What do you want, by the way?" she asked as she flipped to the index.  
  
Draco sighed. "Nothing. Can't a guy tell his girlfriend she's beautiful?"  
  
"Sure, but most of the gits in this world only do if they want something, even if it's just subconsciously."  
  
"Actually, I just want you to come down to the pool with me."  
  
Hermione grinned. "See? I told you..."  
  
Draco was silent, but laid his head on Hermione's shoulder and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes as she continued reading.  
  
He stayed like that for five minutes before he got her attention and she looked down at him.  
  
Seeing the well practiced puppy dog face brought a laugh to Hermione's throat, which she held in, resulting in a loud snort.  
  
Draco grinned at this. "Pwetty Pwease, Miss Piggy?"  
  
"Um... Draco?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you realize that Miss Piggy is a Muggle TV character?"  
  
"Oh... No, I didn't."  
  
"So, I wasn't being compared to her?"  
  
"... No..."  
  
"Oh, OK, you're forgiven. we can go to the pool now."  
  
"Um..." Draco was confused, but stood up with her to go to the pool. "What did I do in the first place?" he was unable to keep himself from asking.  
  
Hermione looked back at him, her eyebrows raised and said innocently," I'm female, Draco! I don't need to have a reason."  
  
"So true, so true..."  
  


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Severus was sitting in Sera's room on the "big girl bed", trying for the life of him to sort out his thoughts.  
  
His feelings for Shaylee had pretty much always been there, though there had been times where they had either wavered or gotten stronger.  
  
Everyone who had known him as a teenager had originally worried that he was just living in the past.  
  
Minerva had even gone as far as to summon him to her office for a "talk". The talk ended up being a lecture about how not only had Lily chosen James, but she had died years ago.  
  
Severus had stayed in her office only long enough to curtly inform McGonagall that, despite what she appeared to think, he had been thoroughly sane the past twenty years and remembered all of that happening. On his way out, he also pointed out that Shaylee and Lily had nothing in common besides their looks. Minerva had left him alone after that.  
  
But now he wasn't so sure. What did that flashback mean? It was so brief and meaningless, yet it seemed to mean the world to him.  
  
He tried some of the Muggle psychology shit that Sissy had wanted him to learn when he was having trouble with some students.  
  
_Firstly, why had he thought of Lily in the first place? _He had no idea.   
  
_What brought out that memory? _Hell if he knew, but it sure had bad timing.  
  
_Well, how does he feel about this? _What kind of f-ing question is that?  
  
Diagnosis?   
  
Maybe he _hadn't_ been completely sane the past twenty years.  
  
He felt the urge to break everything in the room to tiny little microscopic pieces, but he resisted because his little sister would kill him.  
  
A knock on the door brought him out of his own thoughts and to the realization that the chances were that it was Shaylee at the door.  
  
He tried to make his voice sound normal, but cringed as a tight, nervous "Come in," came out of his throat.  
  
Just as he had thought, Shaylee's head poked in the room. "Sevvy? Are you OK?"  
  
"Mmhmm," he answered, trying to calm down a bit before he spoke.  
  
Shaylee stepped inside the room and laughed when she saw him sitting on Sera's bed.  
  
"How do you sleep on that bed, Sevvy? You have to be at least a foot taller than it is!"  
  
Severus shrugged.  
  
Shaylee was silent for a few moments as she moved closer and sat beside him on the pink comforter. She had the fairy in her hand and was studying it carefully. "And here I thought you'd be embarrassed to go into a store and buy this, but now you're willing to slep under a pink Barbie blankie."  
  
Severus couldn't hold back a laugh.  
  
"Oh! There it is!" Shaylee said with a grin, looking at Severus' own escaped smile.  
  
Severus tried to scowl at her, but it didn't work.  
  
"See? You want to smile! And you know it!" Shaylee teased. When he answered with a glare, she stood up and grabbed his arm to pull him up with her.  
  
"We're going to go read, Sevvy. Mr. Teddy misses you!"  
  
"But I just saw him this morning," Severus protested.  
  
"Excuse me? Mr. Teddy is a girl!" Shaylee responded indignantly.  
  
Severus was silent for a few moments as he pondered this. "I'm just not going to ask..."  
  
"Great plan! Let's go then!"  
  
As Severus was taken by the arm and dragged across the hall, he decided that whether he was living in the past or in the present, he was happy where he was.  
  


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Harry was glad that Mrs. Weasley had told him not to help clean up after dinner. That way he could go out to the backyard without anyone noticing. He also had time to sit there and plan what to say until Ginny came out to meet him.  
  
He sighed as he reached a bench facing the pond (the same one Ron had learned to ice skate on) and sat down.  
  
"Ginny," he practiced under his breath. "I just really needed to talk to you. -- No..."  
  
He began again. "Ginny..." He paused. "How are you?" He stopped long enough to hit his head. "You just saw her, you dolt!"  
  
"Hey Ginny, fancy meeting you out here... Stupid!"  
  
"Ginny, waz up?"  
  
"Hey, Ginny. Whatcha doing?" He rolled his eyes. "Not listening to you, that's for sure."  
  
"Hey, Gin... I was thinking... It's been-- Argh!"  
  
"Ginny, can I have a word?"  
  
He was starting to run his hands through his hair, frustrated, when a, "Sure. That's why I'm out here, isn't it?" made him jump.  
  
"Oh! Hey Ginny! I was just... Never mind."  
  
Ginny shrugged and sat down beside him.  
  
"So, what's up?" she asked him, folding her arms to protect herself from the cold. She'd obviously snuck out of the house and hadn't had any time to bundle up.  
  
"Well... I just needed to talk to you."  
  
"Obviously," Ginny said with a mocking grin.  
  
"It's just... It's been a long time since the Halloween Masquerade."  
  
"Yes..." Ginny nodded. "Today's Christmas. Great deduction."  
  
_Great, Harry. Of course you hafta have a thing for sarcastic girls... _Harry shook his head and began again.  
  
"Ginny... "He paused, then blurted out, "What would you say if I asked you out?"  
  
Ginny paused and looked at him suspiciously. "I'd say yes, of course."  
  
Harry took a deep breath and started again, "What would you do if I _am _asking you out?"  
  
"Oh..." A grin broke out on her face and she leaped over and engulfed him in a hug.   
  
"Well?"  
  
"I'd say yes, of course!"  
  
Harry grinned and leaned down to give her a small soft kiss.  
  
"My brothers are going to kill you. You realize this, right?"  
  
Harry grinned. "Ron won't. I don't know about the twins though."  
  
They stood up, holding hands. "Don't worry. I'll protect you!" Ginny declared bravely, standing on her tiptoes to finally give Harry Potter a kiss.   
  


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R/R please! Thanks to my boyfriend, because without him, the Harry Ginny scene wouldn't be! (That's how he asked me out!) I love you Jimmy!!!  



	49. Sending and Receiving Letters

Disclaimer: I am Ashiri. Nice to meet you.

AN: So, yeah... Not gonna offer excuses, just apologies... I know: I'm evil. I give you permission to throw rotten tomatoes at me. Oh, and just so everyone is informed I already know the Draco/Herm scene sucks It hates me and I hate it.

* * *

"I've talked to father," Draco said, taking hold of Hermione's hand. They were seated again on the hill overlooking the Malfoy property. 

"And?"

"He's contacted the rest of the Death Eaters. Friday's the day."

Hermione nodded slightly, staring off in thought.

"Hermione? Are you OK?"

"Yeah... It's just that..."

"Having second thoughts?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, but..." She paused. "I'll be fine. We're gonna kick some arse on Friday."

Draco laughed. "Now I _know _something's wrong."

Hermione smiled also. "No. It's OK; I'm just worried."

"As you have a right to be. I mean, it's six against eleven. And our plan is really amateur. Basically, if we don't have luck, we're all going t-"

"Draco... You're not helping."

"Oh... Yeah, sorry."

There was a long pause as Hermione leaned her head on Draco's shoulder. "Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Draco smiled down at her and kissed the crown of her head. "I love you too."

She sighed. "So, did you want me to send the letters to everyone?"

"We need to, but I can do it if you don't want to."

Hermione shrugged. "No, I think I can do it."

"We both will." Draco stood up and grabbed Hermiones hand. She stood up and as Draco started walking to the house, Hermione held tight to his hand to stop him.

"What?"

Hermione pulled him closer and then reached up to pull his head down to her level, where she gave him a long, soft kiss.

Draco was smiling when Hermione pulled away. "What was that for?"

Hermione smiled sadly. "I'm going to be kissing you every chance I get between now and Friday."

Draco pulled her into a hug, as he recognized her reasoning: one of them might not be there to kiss after Friday.

* * *

"Hey, I need to borrow Harry real quick. He has a letter to read," Ron said, poking his head into the Living Room where Harry and Ginny were sitting. 

"Can't it wait?" Ginny complained, lifting her head from Harry's shoulder. "I'm comfortable."

"Sorry, Gin." Harry leaned over and kissed the top of her head as he stood up. "It's probably from Hermione and she'll want a response reight away."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fine then. Go answer a letter from another girl."

Harry paused. "Please tell me that was sarcasm."

Ginny grinned. "Go ahead, Harry. Last thing I want is an angry Hermione."

Harry gave her another short kiss, aware that her brother was watching, before he left.

"OK, let me read this." Harry held his hand out for the letter. Ron hesitated, his eyes narrowed at Harry. Harry groaned.

"Come on, Ron. You already said everything was fine with you."

"Yeah, I know. It's just... The 'Older Brother Speech' was really just a joke. But I love my little sister, even if she's a brat sometimes. And if it ever comes down to choosing between family and a friend... You're just going to have to respect my decision."

Harry pondered this for a moment and said seriously, "I don't think you'll ever have to do that, Ron."

Ron paused before grinning and then clapped him on the back. "You're like my brother anyway, mate."

Ron's grin was contagious and Harry was soon smiling with him. "Thanks man."

Ron pulled the parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Harry.

"We're meeting on Friday. That shouldn't be a problem, but I don't know how we're going to explain why we're gone," Ron said as Harry skimmed though the letter.

Harry nodded idly. He had also spotted this problem and had yet to come up with a solution.

"I mean," Ron continued. "It's not like I can say, 'Oh yeah, Mum. Harry and I had planned to go have a chat with You-Know-Who in the Malfoys' basement. I knew you wouldn't mind. We'll be back for dinner.' I don't think she'd take that well."

Harry chuckled as he looked up from the letter. "What about Fred and George? Could they cover for us?"

"If we tell them, they'll want to help."

Harry sighed as he thought. "We don't have to tell them where we're going..." he mused.

"They'll want to know, is all I'm saying."

"I'll see if I can convince them," Harry said with a shrug.

* * *

Severus walked downstairs, pocketing the letter he had just received. He glanced in the living room for Shaylee, but she wasn't there, so he commenced to the kitchen. 

There Shaylee was, side-by-side with Sera at the counter, working on what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies. Her scarf and sock cap lay disgarded on a nearby chair and she wore one of Sissy's aprons.

She had cookie dough all over her hands and a few spots of it on her face. She was watching intently as Sera took a huge glob of cookie dough and started to set it on the pan.

"Um, Sera... As much as I'd like to have a giant cookie, I think we'd better make enough for everyone to have one before we make a really big one."

"How considerate, Fairy Princess."

Shaylee jumped a foot in the air and spun around.

"Severus Snape! Don't ever do that again! I get startled very easily."

One glance at Severus' mocking smile told her that she was looking worse for wear.

"Oh, shut up."

He shrugged. "I didn't say anything. Besides, you look good in an apron."

"I'd take that as a chauvinist remark, but then I'd have to slap you, and..." She held up her cookie dough covered hands. "I don't think I should do that."

"Again, thank you for being considerate," he said slightly sarcastically.

"No prob. Anyway, what do you want?"

"You have a letter to read."

"From?"

"Two certain students."

"Ah... Is one of them yours?"

Severus rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"OK." Shaylee looked down at Sera. "I'll be right back, Sera."

"No," Sera protested firmly, attaching herself to Shaylee's legs.

"Um... Alright..." Shaylee looked to Severus for help.

"I just need to talk to her for a moment."

"No... _My_ Auntie Shay!" Sera looked up at him with a pout.

"Er... Sera, Shaylee's not your aunt."

"Yes she is! And you can't have her."

Shaylee snickered at this and grinned at Severus, deciding she'd let him handle this one.

"OK, Sera... I promise I'll only have her for five minutes. She'll come right back when I'm done talking to her."

Sera paused and then released her grip on Shaylee. "Auntie Shay, Uncle Sevwus wants to talk to you. You'd better go." She added in a loud whisper, "He's very impatient."

Shaylee grinned. "I'll be right back. Don't touch the oven," she warned as she moved into the hallway to talk to Severus.

Severus made sure they were out of hearing range and then started. "The date's set for this Friday," he said in a low voice. "Draco says to be in position by 6:30."

Shaylee nodded slowly in comprehension. "About the plan... Do you think it will work?"

Severus looked wry. "Not the way that they're planning it."

Shaylee nodded, then narrowed her eyes. "Woah, woah... Wait a second; what does that mean?"

Severus smiled. "You'll see. Now, I believe _my _niece is waiting for _you _to help her with cookies. You mustn't keep her waiting."

When Shaylee opened her mouth to protest, Severus shook his head. "We'll talk about Friday later." He turned away, then turned back with a devious grin.

"I just can't resist... Auntie Shay seems to have a bit of batter on her nose."

Shaylee glared at him. "Well, Uncy Sevwus seems to have a bit of an attitude up his --"

Severus put a finger over her mouth to silence her. "Four-year-old in the next room, remember?" He smiled cockily, then turned to go.

"Severus Snape, I hate you."

"So I've heard."


	50. Secret Plans

AN: Ha! Quicker this time, huh? See, it was only stupid Draco/Herm keeping me back! Grrr...

Disclaimer: If I were JK Rowling, would I be taking time off to write a fanfic? I should hope not…

* * *

Harry looked down the hallway to make sure no one was looking before knocking on Fred and George's bedroom door.

"State your name and business," was called from the inside.

"It's Harry. I have a proposition for you."

There was a brief pause before the door opened and Harry stepped in.

It was a lot darker in the room. Harry could make out one of the twins with a smoking cauldron beside the open window. The other was sitting on a bed, facing him.

"Yes?" Harry could tell by the tone that it was George speaking.

"Ron and I are going to need you two to cover for us, under our conditions."

Fred and George looked at each other briefly and when Fred nodded at him, George prompted Harry, "Go on."

"This Friday, we will be leaving at around 5:30, and we need you to make sure no one notices that we're gone."

"I'd say that's do-able," George said. "But where are you going to be?"

"That's one of our terms. No questions."

Fred wheeled his chair over to George and they conferred in whispers. Finally, Fred looked up and said, "If we can't know what you are doing, we're going to need something else."

"Like?"

George grinned. "Well, you see... Fred and I have been cramped a little in our sales, since we've had to continue our business in secret and all..."

"And our supplier is getting a little impatient, cuz we owe him a small sum of money. And due to lack of sales, we can't pay him just yet," Fred added.

Harry nodded. "How much?"

Fred shurugged. "Oh... About 200 galleons."

Harry was momentarily in shock, wondering how in the world the twins had gotten that far in debt. Then he recovered and nodded. "It's yours then."

* * *

It was Wednesday, 1 AM, and Hermione was creeping into Draco's bedroom. She stood at the door for a moment, looking at her boyfriend in deep slumber. His arm was under his pillow and he just looked very comfortable.

She stealthily moved to the side of his bed and sat down.

Draco immediately sat up, bringing his wand out from under his pillow and was starting to point it in her direction before he saw who it was and stopped himself.

Hermione giggled as he glared at her.

"Don't do that," he said in an embarrassed, yet stern, tone.

"Sorry," Hermione said, trying to hide her smile. "I just wanted to tell you that we've finally gotten a response from Harry and Ron. We're all set."

"Good." Draco sat up and leaned against his headboard, pulling Hermione closer to him.

"And you know what?" Hermione was looking out his window, musing. "I just realized that my life is resting on four goofballs and two Slytherins."

"Wow..." Draco pondered this. "Now that you've put it that way, I'm _really_ worried about you."

"We're idiots, you know." Hermione leaned back on the headboard with him. "Our only plan is how to get inside. We have no idea what we're going to do once we _do_ get there."

Draco chuckled. "You, my dear, are going to run. That's all you have to worry about."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "But that's not it, at all! My closest friends and my boyfriend are going to be in a perilous situation and I won't be able to help them."

Hermione was starting to look truly stressed out.

"Hermione..." Draco began soothingly.

She didn't turn back around to listen.

"Sweetie? Dearheart? Honeybunch?"

Hearing the notorious Draco Malfoy using pet names made her chuckle and she turned around. "What?" she asked with a fake glare.

"Harry and Ron have been through plenty of dangerous stuff. And so have I."

Hermione shrugged. "I know... I just love you all so much and I don't know how I'm going to live if something happens to one of you."

Draco wrapped his arms around her. "I know that. But the reason that we _have_ to do this is because I don't know how _I'll_ live if something happens to _you_."

Hermione moved closer to snuggle and sighed.

There was silence and then Draco said in a shaky voice, "Hermione, I am so sorry. This is all my fault."

Hermione was shaking her head to disagree, but Draco stopped her. "If I had just stayed out of everything in the first place, none of this would have happened. I should have known not to get involved."

"Draco, it's not your fault. In fact, face it... If you hadn't have gotten involved with your father's plans, we never would have become friends and I definitely would never have fallen for you."

Draco smiled as he realized this was true. "I know... I just wish it were different, you know?"

Hermione nodded, gave him a kiss and stood up. "I probably shouldn't be in your room at this time of night."

Draco sighed but nodded. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said softly.

Hermione nodded as she closed his door.

* * *

Shaylee knocked on Severus's bedroom door before entering. "Sevvy?"

"Yes?" Severus looked up from the floor where he was laying, writing on a piece of parchment.

"What are you doing?"

Severus shrugged, concealing the parchment with his arm, and said, "Nothing important."

Shaylee paused. "Why is it that I don't believe you?" she asked with a grin.

Severus looked up at her again with a smirk. "Because you're a suspicious, paranoid, evil old lady."

Shaylee laughed. "That sure describes one person in this room, but it isn't me."

"Are you calling me an old lady?" Severus asked indignantly, sitting up and stuffing the now folded parchment into his robes.

Shaylee cracked a smile. "Well… Maybe not a lady…" she said with feigned thought.

Severus rolled his eyes as Shaylee sat down on Sera's bed with a bounce.

"So, what exactly is your little addition to the kiddies' plan?" Shaylee asked noncommittally.

Severus smiled innocently. "Who said I had an addition?"

Shaylee narrowed her eyes at him. "Severus Salazar Snape!"

Severus rolled his eyes. "I am going to kill Sissy…" he muttered under his breath.

Shaylee ignored that statement and went on. "I know you have something planned, and I want to know what it is!"

Severus shrugged. "You must be wrong. After all, you're just a suspicious, paranoid old lady."

Shaylee sighed. "You're pure evil, you know that?"

Severus looked like he was going to say something sarcastic, but then rethought himself. "No, Shaylee… You're going to meet pure evil on Friday."

Shaylee sighed, knowing he was right. "I just…" She paused, thinking. "I wish I could be included in your little plan…"

Severus started to feel guilty about excluding her. He looked at the ceiling for a while, then turned back to her. "OK, I'll tell, but you absolutely _cannot_ tell anyone else."

Shaylee exited his room ten minutes later with a grin. _Guilt trips… Work like a charm, they do!_


	51. And So It Begins

Disclaimer: There are 50 other disclaimers in this fic, so go read those; I'm lazy.

AN: I know... It's extremely short... But the next one will be pretty long, so yeah... This is just a filler chapter, sorry guys.

I passed 1000 reviews! YAY! frolics I'm so happy! (Of course, w/ a 51 -- and counting-- chapter fic, what can you expect?)

* * *

Harry quickly fastened his cloak and stood by the window, waiting for Ron to find his.

"Oh, found it!" Ron tugged his patched cloak out from the bottom of a pile of other clothes.

Harry opened the window and stepped quietly out onto the roof, mindful that he was standing right over Ginny's room and didn't want her to hear them.

Ron also exited the room and closed the window, taking care to leave it about an inch open so that they could get back in. He handed Harry the Firebolt and mounted his own new Comet.

"Ready?" he asked Harry, who briefly nodded.

"We're off."

* * *

Shaylee opened her bedroom door to find Severus in front of the fireplace. Right as she entered, he pulled his head out of the fire and the flames returned to their original color.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing important."

"Oh, that..." Shaylee nodded. "Everything set?"

"Of course. Are you ready?"

"In a second." Shaylee grabbed her sock cap and gloves and put them on. She picked up her black cloak from her bed, slipped it on and smiled at Severus. "Ready!"

"Got your wand?" Severus asked.

Shaylee narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm a Defense teacher, Sev."

Severus nodded and left the room. Shaylee followed him, snatching up her wand from her dresser on the way out.

"Where are you guys going?" Sissy looked up from her book as they passed her.

"Out," Severus answered briefly.

Sissy grinned, resisting the urge to go, "awww..." Instead, she nodded with a smile and said, "Have fun."

"We'll be out pretty late, so don't wait up for us."

Sissy smiled. "I'm your sister, Severus, not your mother."

"You could have fooled me," Severus joked, kissing Sissy on the cheek.

"See you in the morning, Sissy," he said as Shaylee waved and they left the house.

* * *

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked up and smiled nervously at her boyfriend.

She stood up. "Are you ready to go?"

Draco nodded, took her hand and squeezed it as they walked downstairs and out the door.

They were barely a hundred yards from the front door when a man in black apparated right in front of them, grabbed Hermione, and disappeared.

Draco sighed and turned around to walk back into the house. "Here we go," he muttered as he opened the door.


	52. The Dark Lord

Disclaimer: I'm the co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, on the Literary Magazine editing staff, treasurer of Speech and Debate, first chair flutist during contest season, the best cashier ever at my hometown BP, an obsessive girlfriend, and a free babysitter (who is trying to get a B in Algebra II). I am _not_, however, JK Rowling.

AN: Remember, I'm a slow writer. This is still taking place during the 5th year, so nothing that's happened in the 5th or 6th books pertains to this fanfic.

* * *

Draco put his own Death Eater robes on. As he hadn't officially become a Death Eater, he didn't have the Death Eater mask.

As soon as he was dressed, he started towards his father's wing. He still had a while before anything started, but he wanted to make sure no one touched Hermione.

* * *

Hermione awoke on the floor in a small room. She sat up and looked around. There were no windows and on door. When she stood up to check the door, she felt something poking her side. Reaching to her robe pocket, she realized that she still had her wand.

'Something's not right with this...'

* * *

Severus and Shaylee had apparated right into the Malfoys' stable.

"OK... Where exactly are we?" Shaylee asked, looking around at the hay and buckets of feed.

"The Eiffel Tower," Severus answered sarcastically.

Shaylee rolled her eyes. "Well, they sure have made a few changes since the last time I was there."

Severus sighed and entered a stall to where he could see both the house and greenhouse.

While he was busy keeping an eye out for others, Shaylee was taking a tour of the stable.

Severus only looked away from the house when he heard Shaylee gasp.

"Sevvy! It's the cutest colt ever!"

He groaned and looked back outside.

"Hey..." Shaylee walked back into the stall with Severus. "Are we early? Because I don't see anyone else..."

"I know... That's what's worrying me."

* * *

"Hello, Father," Draco greeted as he entered his father's office.

"Hello, Draco. You're just in time," Lucius answered, turning to the door behind his desk.

"Miss Granger lies within. Perhaps you'd like to do the honors?"

A feeling of suspicion briefly fluttered through Draco's stomach, but he ignored it and opened the door.

Hermione looked up from her spot on the floor. "Draco? Draco! What's going on?"

Draco held back his smile as he realized Hermione would have no problem with the acting.

He didn't say anything as he took Hermione's arm and "forcefully" guided her out into his father's office.

"Ah, Miss Granger... Let's go downstairs, shall we, Draco?"

* * *

"Sevvy! I want this horse! It's so cute!"

Severus sighed as he looked at the greenhouse. "I don't see Scott." He turned to Shaylee. "Your boyfriend's late, Princess."

Shaylee rolled her eyes. "Scott will be here, Sev."

"How can you be sure?"

Shaylee sighed and looked up from the horse. "I have a psychic connection with him." she answered sarcastically, leaving the colt in its stall to join Severus by the window. "Budge over."

She looked over at Severus, who was still looking fixedly out the window. "I don't have a thing for Scott, Sev."

Severus kept looking out the window. "I think that's him right there," he said as another hooded figure joined the group of Death Eaters by the greenhouse.

Shaylee sighed and nodded. "I wonder if Ron and Harry are here yet..." She looked over at the forest where they were supposed to be waiting.

"I haven't seen them, but they _are _supposed to be under Harry's Invisibility Cloak."

* * *

Hermione was led down the stairs and through a rickety trapdoor into a damp dark room.

There were a few hooded figures huddled in the corner, whispering. As soon as they saw Lucius, they separated and bowed to him.

Lucius led Hermione and Draco over to an ancient-looking wooden chair with chains attached. "Sit," he said harshly to Hermione, forcibly taking her from Draco and shoving her into the chair. The chair was identicle to the ones that had been used in the Death Eater trials upon Voldemort's first defeat, and as soon as Hermione sat, she was restrained by the chains.

Draco bit his lip as he noticed a tinge of authentic fear in her eyes. He hed back a sigh as he moved back with the other Death Eaters, who were now conversing with his father.

He got close enough to hear, "has arrived," before the speaker suddenly stopped speaking and there was that uncomfortable silence when you walk into a conversation you aren't supposed to hear.

Something started nagging at Draco's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it before a dark and familiar figure emerged from a shadowy corner and instinct brought him down in a low bow with the other Death Eaters.

Hermione's eyes widened as, for the first time, she laid eyes upon Lord Voldemort.

* * *

Behind Malfoy Manor, two voices, unattached to human figures, sounded.

"OK, the next time we fly with the invisibility cloak, we ride one broom."

"Whatever, but I'm not riding in back like a girl."

"Are you saying you want me to wrap my arms around your waist, Ronniekins?"

"No, I'm saying I don't want to wrap _my _arms around _your _waist."

"Hey! That hurts my feelings!"

"Good."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Ow! That's my foot!"

"Sorry. I think I see something."

Harry could make out one building about 100 yards from them, which he assumed was the stable, and the corner of another building jutting out from the other side of the house.

He also spotted a group of six human-shaped figures moving toward the house.

"There they go. It's almost time."

* * *

Lord Voldemort'seyes glowed even more scarlet as he saw Hermione. Moving closer to her chair, his eyes never moved from her, but his hand waved his followers to a standing position.

"So, young Draco," he spoke, though his eyes were still attached to Hermione. "You've brought Miss Granger here, as I asked."

"Yes, Master." Draco bent in a brief bow as Voldemort was circling Herimone.

Voldemort halted in front of Hermione and stood still as he continued to study her.

"So," he began. "This is what all the fuss is about."

His eyes narrowed. "Miss Hermione Granger, top of the 5th year class at the greatest Wizarding school in the world, award-winning swimmer, and the source of all Harry Potter's talent. A mere Muggle, and not even a very attractive one."

Draco felt a defensive twinge of anger in his gut, but held it in.

Voldemort began pacing in front of Hermione again. "I've had you brought here for one reason only."

Both Hermione and Draco involuntarily held their breath as they waited for Voldemort's explanation.

"Time and time again, I've been defeated by your best friend... Harry Potter." He spat out the name contemptuously. "And it was only recently that I realized all of his luck couldn't possibly be from his mother's blood... There is something else inside of him that makes him succeed."

Voldemort paused, making the whole situation seem comically staged. "The advice and help of his friends. Their _love..._" His lip curled with disgust."...and loyalty and brain power... Namely yours." He fixed a glare on Hermione and his eyes flashed bright red.

Hermione's mouth opened, then closed. She opened it again, trying to think of something to say.

"So... You think Harry only defeats you because I tell him what to do?"

"Yes, yes. You _are _a very quick one... It's no wonder you're first in your class," Voldemort mocked.

"I'm not the reason Harry succeeds over you. He already has brains, talent and a great heart. That's more than you can ever hope to have," Hermione retorted, aware that talking back to the Dark Lord was not necessarily a smart thing to do.

Voldemort narrowed his already-beady eyes. "None of this matters to you, my dear," he said with a cruel smile. "The only reason you're here tonight is to be killed."


	53. Realizations

Disclaimer: JKR doesn't even know who Shaylee Weasley is... So therefore, she doesn't have dreams/nightmares in which Shaylee is attacking her with a rubber chicken... I, however, do.

AN: Don't get used to it. ... It's Spring Break.

* * *

Draco felt his stomache drop as Lord Voldemort announced his plans for Hermione. He didn't know what he had _thought _was the reason Voldemort wanted her, but the thought hadn't crossed his tiny mind that Voldemort simply wanted to get rid of her. And for some reason, nobody else in their little rescue mission had thought of it either.

He kept a grim face, however, though he noticed Hermione's eyes widen.

"Our plot to get you here was overkill, I must admit. But torture is always entertaining, and there is more than one way of torture."

Hermione noticed more Death Eaters entering through the trap door and hoped that her friends were on their way, as she was getting a little nervous.

* * *

"Are you ready, Fairy Princess?" Severus asked, moving out of the stall to find Shaylee.

"Is it time to go?" Shaylee poked her head out of the stall where she had found her new friend.

Severus moved to join her and noticed the colt was nudging Shaylee, trying to get her to stay.

Shaylee sighed. "Sevvy... I want a pony..."

Severus shook his head, amused. "I'm sorry, but this little guy isn't going to be a pony. He'll be a bit bigger."

"Well, I want a horse, then. I could keep it at your cliche farmhouse." Shaylee grinned mockingly at him, but Severus' smile fell and he became serious again.

"We'd better go before something bad happens to Miss Granger."

Shaylee patted the horse goodbye and the two walked stealthily towards the Manor. Well, as stealthily as is possible through fifty yards without anything to hide behind, anyway.

They reached the door and Severus looked around before opening it. Or attempting to open it.

Severus muttered a string of expletives as Shaylee looked at the door with her head cocked to the side.

"Wasn't Scott...?" she began.

"Yes," Severus snapped. "Your boyfriend screwed up, Princess."

"Shut up, Sev." Shaylee raised her wand and pointed it at the door.

"Alohamora isn't going to work. That's why they use a spell and not a key."

Shaylee shrugged. "Let me at least try. _Alohamora!_"

Severus sighed. "Very nice... Now we need to find an alternate entrance. The window to Lucius' office is right up th-"

He stopped as Shaylee reached and turned the handle, opening the door.

"Something's not right with this..."

Shaylee shrugged. "Maybe they used a spell _and _a key, so Scott only undid the spell."

Severus shook his head. "It still feels all wrong."

"Well, we can't back out now, so we'd better go before someone gets hurt."

* * *

"Hey Ron," Harry said into the silence of the forest.

"Yeah?"

"Shay and Snape are going in now."

The two moved closer to the edge of the forest for a better view.

"So what do we do now?"

"Wait for their all-clear."

"So stand here and do nothing."

"Exactly."

"This night is getting even more exciting the longer we stand in this forest."

* * *

Six figures in Death Eater robes entered the room and joined the others. All but one were wearing a Death Eater mask as well. As Hermione met the eyes of that Death Eater, her mouth dropped open and she couldn't stop an, "Oh my God," from escaping.

The unmasked Death Eater smiled at Hermione wickedly.

"Hermione! How wonderful to see you again," Kerry said with a malevolent chuckle.

Draco felt a pounding in his ears as the phrase, 'Oh shit, oh shit,' repeated itself in his mind.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, looking over to Draco to see that he was paler than usual. She looked back at Kerry. "You're a Death Eater?"

"Oh no, of course not," Kerry responded. "Not yet, anyway. But in a month, I will be."

She shrugged innocently. "That's why I'm not wearing a mask. I'm sorry about your little surprise, though."

Kerry looked at the Death Eaters she had entered with. "There's actually another person in here who isn't a Death Eater and shouldn't be wearing his mask yet."

A Death Eater in the rear of the group made his way to the front while pulling his mask off. "Sorry, Kerry."

All of Draco's optimism for their plan disappeared as he saw Scott pulling his mask off and walking towards Kerry with a grin.

* * *

Severus looked areound briefly before starting up the staircase to Lucius' study.

"Hey, Sev... I could go first. I _am _the Defense teacher..."

"And I have more experience," Severus responded shortly.

He stopped halfway up the staircase and listened. Shaylee sighed, not hearing anything.

He started again and stopped at the door, motioning for Shaylee to stay silent.

He held his wand out and opened the door quickly, yet quietly. Nothing happened.

He took a few steps in the room and Shaylee followed him, taking the chance to whisper, "See? I could have done that."

Before she was even done with her sentence, a red flash filled the room and Severus fell back on top of her, hitting his head on the door jamb on his way down.

"Holy shit!"

Shaylee made the mistake of taking the time to set Severus on the floor gently before readying her wand.

She had barely stood when she was hit with a similar blast and fell against Lucius' large desk, dropping her wand and twisting her arm in a way it shouldn't twist.

She cursed, though she was relieved she still had the use of her wand arm.

Shaylee dropped to the floor to grab her wand and for cover as she figured out where the bastard who'd attacked Seerus was.

She'd just grabbed her wand when she heard footsteps retreating down the stairs. She blindly fired a few spells down the stairway and smiled, satisfied, when the footsteps were replaced with the clumsy thumps of someone falling.

She turned, preparing to revive Severus and continue on their mission. She halted, however, and her heart dropped as she saw him lying absolutely still where she'd placed him, with blood flowing from a bump on his head.

"Shit, Sevvy... He got you good."

Shaylee bent down next to him and began to wipe the blood from his wound.

"Now, don't expect me to do this all the time. There is no way I'm ever dressing up in a nurse's outfit for you," she said with a grin, halfway expecting him to awaken with a retort.

When he didn't, she sighed.

"Well, I'd better tell the boys to start in, huh Sevvy?"

She patted his hand and then shrinked back at its coldness.

"Sevvy? Sevvy? Wakey time!" she said with a forced cheerful tone.

"Time to go beat up some big bad assholes!" she tried again.

Her smile disappeared.

"Sev? Sev, wake up." She paused. "Dammit, Sev!"

Shaylee looked around then stood up, wincing as her left arm was jostled. She walked to the window and sent a red light towards the forest, signalling to Harry and Ron that it was OK to enter.

She returned to Severus.

She shook his shoulder, patted his face, and even tried plugging his nose, but he wouldn't wake up.

Shaylee sighed. "I can't do this without you, Sev."

She laughed softly at herself as she felt a tear appear in her eye.

"See this, Sevvy? You're making me cry." She paused for a shaky breath. "I need you, Sev."

She held his still-cold hand for a moment. "I won't let anything happen to you. You'll be fine."

She leaned over so that her face was hovering inches over his, hesitated, then kissed his lips softly. "I love you, Sevvy."

She stood, looked him over one last time, and left, securing the room on her way out.

* * *

Severus Snape was dreaming. He was dreaming about a beautiful woman with long red hair and emerald eyes. He was in love with this woman. And it wasn't Lily Evans Potter. 


	54. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Disclaimer: I am absolutely in love with peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I really dunno if JKR is obsessed w/ PB&B sandwiches, but obviously since I don't know, I am not her.

AN: It's really short, but I didn't want to mix this scene w/ a bunch of other things. It's also really corny and suck-tacular.

* * *

Ginny Weasley jumped off of her bed as she heard her mother calling that dinner was ready.

"Guys, are you coming?" she yelled up the stairs as she exited her room.

The twins appeared at the top of the stairs. "Our brother and your darling boyfriend won't be making an appearance at dinner tonight, I'm afraid," George informed her as they walked down towards her.

"Why? Where are they?"

"I think it's supposed to be a surprise, but I'm not sure."

"Does Mom know?" Ginny asked as they walked down together.

"That would be a negative, dear sister."

"That's not good."

As they entered the Dining Room, Mrs. Weasley looked up, counting as they walked by.

"Where are Harry and Ron?" she asked impatiently.

"Oh, ridding the world of all evil, I suspect," George said nonchalantly as he plopped down on his chair.

Molly's eyes widened momentarily, but a quick look at her special clock told her that no one was in mortal peril at the moment. She had recently added Harry to her clock, so she could keep an eye on all of her children, even if he wasn't biologically hers.

"Well, wherever they are, they'd better get back soon. You're father and I have to leave after dinner." She was surprisingly mellow about Harry and Ron not being there.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, beginning to fill her plate.

Mrs. Weasley was silent as she sat down with the family. "It's nothing important, Ginny. Just a favor for Dumbledore."

Ginny nodded and decided not to pry further.

A burp sounded from the twins' end of the table. "Dang, this is good, Mum."

* * *

Mrs. Weasley handed her husband his cloak and sighed.

"Those two... They are going to be in serious trouble when we get home."

She shook her head and kissed each of her children goodbye. "Be good. Percy's in charge."

The twins rolled their eyes and began to retreat upstairs.

Molly checked her clock one last time, then she and Arthur left the house.

"I wonder where they're going," Fred mused, standing on the first step and leaning against the railing.

Ginny shruggedand said sarcatically, "Probably just to rid the world of all evil."

She turned her eyes to her mother's clock as her parent's hands moved to "Travelling." The breath caught in her throat as she saw two different hands turning to "Mortal Peril."


	55. The Truth about Scott

Disclaimer: I am spending my Spring Break writing a fanfic. Some may say this is ultimately pathetic (I disagree). JK Rowling is out of school, therefore she does not have a Spring Break. And even if she did, I should hope she would spend it writing the 7th book, not a fanfic.

AN: Getting reviews makes me happy. When I'm happy, I'm more likely to write. Just keep that in mind.

AN2: A bit more cursing in this chappy... Sorry, but if you were being attacked by a bunch of Death Eaters, you'd probably be cussing like a sailor too. (btw, I'm not a big fan of the f word... so, usually when I say someone "cursed" in the story, that's the word they're using. If that helps you imagine it any better...)

* * *

The only thought crossing Hermione's mind was, 'We're screwed.'

Her mouth managed to get out, "Scott?" and Scott nodded at her with a jovial grin.

Draco stood still, not quite knowing what to do. If Scott was a spy, and it was obvious he was, his father and the other Death Eaters already knew the truth. So right now, he should be walking over to set Hermione free, then taking on twelve Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort himself. Right... He decided he'd rather stand there looking like an idiot while waiting for his backup to show up.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw his father looking down at him.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Draco."

Draco pulled away from him. "You're not exactly my role model either, father."

Scott chuckled. "Now, Draco... Is that any way to speak to your daddy?"

Draco glared at him.

Scott only shrugged at this. "No hard feelings, right?" He flicked his wand in Hermione's direction and the chair immediately relinquished its hold on her.

He laughed as the other Death Eaters started toward her.

"For Merlin's sake, she may be good, but not even Harry Potter could take out twelve Death Eaters and the Dark Lord."

Scott looked toward the trap door. "Shouldn't he be showing up soon? This party's getting kind of boring."

"Why did you do it?" Hermione blurted as she moved from the chair. "You were a good kid."

Scott laughed. "Oh yes... The poor orphan... Left his home in America after his parents tragically died, moved to Ireland with his Great-Uncle... I'm just not evil material, am I?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nobody ever mentioned how my parents 'tragically' died. It was a fire in the middle of the night. Their door and windows just wouldn't open." He sighed overdramatically. "I _do _wonder how that happened..."

Hermione was horrified. "You are disgusting," she managed.

Scott smiled. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But luckily for you, you won't have to live with that feeling much longer."

He turned to Voldemort, who had been watching with amusement, and bowed. "I'm done, my Lord."

Voldemort raised his wand. "I'm sorry, but we don't have time to wait for your friends."

Draco grabbed Hermione's arm, preparing to do anything to keep her alive.

"The passsageway to outside is in the far corner. There's a loose brick on the bottom row," he murmured in her ear.

Voldemort had just opened his mouth when a white light flooded the room.

Hermione looked frightened, so Draco said one word quietly to her. "Alarm."

She closed her eyes with relief. Harry and Ron were coming, and the professors would come after them.

"Ah... It seems the rescue crew has arrived," Voldemort stated cooly.

The occupants of the room watched as the trapdoor swung open and no one entered.

Draco let go of Hermione's arm. "Go now," he told her quietly. Hermione looked at him inquisitively. He nodded. "Go," he mouthed as he took out his wand.

Two flashes appeared from the thin air under the trapdoor and Hermione realized that Harry and Ron were under the invisibility cloak.

A string of curse words came from one Death Eater as he began to grow extremely large boils.

Ron's distinctive laugh sounded. "Thank the twins for that one."

Another brilliant flash of light filled the room and Hermione let a smile slip as she realized the professors must be entering as well.

She was slightly perplexed as Shaylee dropped from the trapdoor alone and greatly favoring her left arm.

"Shit." Draco randomly fired a few disarming spells while backing Hermione into the corner.

"You need to go." He nudged her towards the passageway.

"I can help! Professor Snape isn't here. You need me," she pleaded, trying to push her way back towards the action.

"I need you alive. Now go!" Draco kissed her forehead and pushed her towards the corner.

Hermione sighed and rushed to the corner of the room. She knelt on the ground as she tested each brick. She had just found the correct one when a rather large chunk of the wall above her was hit by a Death Eater's crooked shot. She cried her surprise and jumped two inches to the left, escaping a very flat demise.

Hermione pushed the brick, opening a door leading to a very dark tunnel. She looked back at the ensuing chaos and spotted the Death Eater who had attempted to hit her. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" she cried and smiled satisfactorily as he fell to the ground, stiff as a board. It was only after she had seen another Death Eater trip over him that she felt satisfied enough to leave.

"Ron, as much as I love spending quality time with you under this wonderful cloak, I think I'm going to leave you now." Harry's voice was heard, but the two were still under the cloak.

"Hey, no hard feelings, mate," Ron responded and Harry Potter suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Hiya, boyo," Shaylee greeted with a grin as she made a Death Eater's eyebrows grow to obstruct his view. She dodged from another shot as she contemplated whether to take the time to turn them purple or to move on to better things. "Having fun yet?"

"Hell, yeah." Harry stunned a Death Eater, laughing as he fell flat on his face. "A big improvement over standing out in that forest."

He paused, dodging a shot. "Have you seen the big arsehole?"

"Sevvy got hurt. He's upstairs unconcious."

Harry had to laugh. "I actually wasn't talking about him. I was referring to Voldemort."

Shaylee ducked and deflected a spell from hitting Harry. She surveyed the room as she was on the floor.

"Big Arsehole is nowhere to be seen," she informed him.

"Well, shit..." Harry's eyes rested on the open door that he knew Hermione had left through. He cursed. "Shay, I'm gonna follow Hermione. Can you handle them?"

Shaylee scoffed. "There's only 10 left. That's 3 1/3 for each of us. I think we've got it."

The two heard Ron curse and a loud thump. Shaylee sighed. "Whatever. Just go; I can take five Death Eaters."

Harry grinned and her and bounded to the rear corner of the room, somehow avoiding all hexes fired at him.

Draco noticed him running and sighed. 'Thanks, Harry... Now it's just me and Professor Weasley.'

He saw Kerry taking aim for Shaylee, so he quickly turned her into a walrus. Hermione's help in Transfiguration had really made a difference.

"That's quite impressive, son," Draco heard from behind him. He spun around to encounter his father.

"A trick Hermione taught me, _father_," Draco responded disdainfully.

"Yes, well the Mudblood has some talent. That's why we brought her here." Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Unfortunately, she also managed to steal my son from me."

Draco raised his wand. "Oh, please... Do you really think anyone with half a brain would fall for that? I have a girlfriend; I am fully capable of identifying guilt trips."

Lucius smiled, but raised his wand also . "It really is terrible that we're on different sides now, Draco. You make some interesting conversation."

"Yes, well I don't take after you," Draco said, slashing his wand in the air and sending a hex to his father, which he quickly repelled.

"You always have," Lucius responded as he sent a dizzying charm that missed Draco by a few centimeters.

"Yeah, but then something happened: I realized you were an egotistical arsehole."

Lucius shrugged, apparently not caring his son had just called him an asshole.

"This is quite nice. We haven't had a father-son duel in a while, have we?"

Draco almost laughed. "You're so cocky. It's hard to believe I used to be proud of you."

"Just as I am no longer proud of you."

"Good."

"It's a pity I didn't spend more time training you. Maybe then you could have ignored your weak emotions and I'd still have a son." Lucius blocked another of Draco's curses and continued, "I should have taught you to duel better, as well."

"You haven't beaten my yet, father." Draco grinned as he hit his father with a blast that sent him stumbling.

"DAMMIT MALFOY!" he heard Shaylee yell. "I can't take care of nine Death Eaters on my own! Are you insane?"

As Lucius regained his composure, Draco fired a few hexes to disorient the Death Eaters who were beginning to circle around Shaylee.

Draco ducked behind the chair in which Hermione had been trapped, almost tripping Harry as he ran past.

"I can't find Voldemort. Hermione's fine," he assured Draco and began helping Shaylee.

Draco started to emerge from his hiding spot, but froze as the room again filled with the light of the alarm.

He looked up to see the entrants.

A group led by a very special wizard dropped from the trapdoor and Draco grinned as they immediately started taking out Death Eaters. He had to admit, he had never been so happy to see Albus Dumbledore.


	56. Crumbling Foundations

Disclaimer: My two biggest worries right now are guys and the SAT on Saturday. I think JKR has more important things to worry about.

AN: Same as last chapter w/ the cursing and such. Sorry if it bugs you!

AN2: I am utterly flattered by the hits this story has received the past few days. The lack of reviews makes me sad, however...:pouty face:Pwetty pwease review?

* * *

"Where are they?" Ginny rounded on the twins with angry fire in her eyes.

"We don't know, honestly, Gin!" Fred backed away from his infuriated sister.

"Harry didn't tell us anything! That was one of his terms!" George added, not wanting his twin brother to be murdered by his little sister.

"What _did _he tell you?" Ginny demanded, pointing her wand threateningly at the twins.

"Just that him and Ron were going somewhere and they needed us to cover for them. I swear!" Fred held his arms up to ward his sister off. "That's all we know."

Ginny looked back at the clock and fell to her mother's dinner chair. She laid her head on the table, her eyes never leaving the clock. "Oh, Harry..." she whispered to herself.

The twins shared a glance and quietly retreated up the stairs.

* * *

Shaylee grinned as Severus' planned back-up arrived. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur, all members of the Order of the Phoenix, had entered with Dumbledore.

Sirius was already dashing around, hexing random Death Eaters with a huge grin on his face. He looked as if there were nowhere else he'd rather be. The sight of him reminded Shaylee of his godson, who had been acting the very same way only minutes earlier.

Shaylee also noticed her Aunt Molly putting a Self-Spanking Hex on a Death Eater who had been trying to petrify Harry. She also realized with amusement that this was the same Death Eater who had stunned Ron. This reminded Shaylee of something.

"Aunt Molly!" she called while ducking so that a shot hit the wall instead of her.

"Ron's under Harry's invisibility cloak over there. You might want to uncover him so he doesn't get stepped on," she advised. She levitated a chunk of the wall that had fallen off so that it hit the Death Eater in the head, promptly knocking him unconscious.

Molly scurried to find and revive her son, thankful that she now at least knew where he was.

Shaylee was surveying the room to find a Death Eater not already engaged in a duel when she was pushed hard into the wall, damaging her injured arm even more.

She looked around for the culprit and spotted Scott leaning against the opposite wall with a grin. His stance against the wall reminded her of Severus and the first time he'd let his guard down around her, chatting her up in the hallway like a sixteen-year-old. And then it hit her that Severus' current condition was completely Scott's fault. And that really, _really _pissed Shaylee off.

"You traitorous bastard," she growled, advancing on him with her wand out.

"You traitorous, scheming, scum between my toes _asshole!_" Shaylee pointed her wand directly in Scott's face.

"I will kill you. I will absolutely kill you, you son of a bitch, for everything you've put him through."

Scott grinned wider, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

"I don't think so, darling Shaylee. I have something you don't."

And it was then that Lord Voldemort appeared.

_**

* * *

(I seriously considered ending the chapter there, but didn't want to be attacked in the night)**_

"Why good evening, Tom," Dumbledore greeted, emerging from the halted duels. "I trust you had a Merry Christmas?"

Lord Voldemort glared at him. "I wasn't aware you were invited, old fool."

Dumbledore shrugged. "Yes, well, I've been known to crash a party or two in my day."

Draco couldn't help but snicker at this, earning a very hateful glare from his father. Draco knew exactly why Lucius was so infuriated. Firstly, there was the fact that the basement in his wing of the house was steadily being destroyed. Secondly, Lord Voldemort had declined to make an appearance until Scott needed assistance. His loyal followers had been dueling for almost an hour and the Dark Lord only showed up once a mere Death Eater "in-training" was threatened. Draco could almost see the jealousy radiating off of his father. ... It was quite hilarious.

Voldemort was now glaring at Shaylee, whose face was _almost _rid of all fury. "I would advise against that, young lady."

Shaylee felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Dumbledore nodding at her.

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder and stepped closer to Scott so that their noses were almost touching.

"You're absolutely wrong; I have everything you have and more." She paused and narrowed her eyes. "Including a tall-skinny-powerful-wizard-guy to protect me." She grinned back at Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling.

She quickly turned back to Scott, disgust now showing on her face. "I don't know how you ever got sorted into Gryffindor." She turned to walk away, but was stopped by Dumbledore.

"There's actually a very interesting story behind that, Professor Weasley." He was talking to Shaylee, but his eyes never left Scott's.

"The Sorting Hat doesn't even remember sorting Mr. Ellis here... Quite strange, really. The only explanation is that he bewitched it to better serve his master."

"But... Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be sorted into Slytherin, to be closer to Draco?" Shaylee somehow had the feeling that Dumbledore wanted her to ask.

Dumbledore smiled and his eyes met Draco's for a split-second. "Not if he was disobeying his father. Draco would never tell a Slytherin of that."

"Yes, yes... Very good," Scott sneered. "You've figured me out. But what is with this stalling? Are you waiting for more people to come and back you up?"

"Oh no, Scott... I'm quite confident in my ability to... 'take out' --is that the correct term? Yes, yes...-- the remaining Death Eaters, walruses and your leader." He paused with a small smile. "I must be honest and admit, however, that I _am _stalling."

Everyone did a double take as Dumbledore admitted this.

"You see," he elaborated, "with badly-aimed curses flying all about for the past hour, the room has sustained a great deal of damage. In a few moments, this entire section of the building will collapse, killing all inside."

Draco's mouth dropped open as he saw that the headmaster had astutely stated the truth. Gaping holes were present in the walls and cracks were spreading from them, giving the room a very eerie and dangerous feel.

Voldemort apparently found this hilarious.

"You _are _a buffoon!" He laughed. "Do you really expect us to believe you, when you're still standing here? We may know you're an old fool, but even _you_ wouldn't stand here chatting if you expected an entire building to collapse at any moment."

"On the contrary, Tom," Dumbledore responded. "That is, in fact, what I am doing right now."

An ominous clatter echoed throughout the room and all eyes turned to see rocks of various sizes fall from a large hole located over the door to the passageway.

"Yes, yes... I do suggest you follow." With a _pop! _Dumbledore disappeared.

Utter chaos broke out. Lord Voldemort also disapparated, not to be seen for yet another year. Molly Weasley grabbed Harry and Ron before apparating to the lawn, where she assumed Dumbledore had gone as well. Her husband followed.

All those who were in the shape to disapparate did, and those who were petrified on the floor stayed there. A certain walrus was grabbed by a cocky Death Eater "in-training" and perhaps from the confusion or his own fright, both apparated to the lawn as well, instead of retreating to the seaside, as the walrus likely desired.

There was only a small group who did not attempt to apparate. Shaylee scurried up the trapdoor as Draco pushed his way towards the passageway door.

"Draco! Where are you going?" His father stepped in front of him. "You'll get killed going that way. I refuse to be the end of the Malfoy line."

"Shove it, father. You're going to disown me anyway."

Draco ran to the door, getting clobbered by falling stones as he went. He was grabbed from behind.

"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded. "Why do you care what happens to me? I've failed you, haven't I? I'm not the son you want! Leave me alone!" He tried to fight his way out of his father's grip, but Lucius held on.

"You may not be the son I want, but you're the only one I have. Now, let's leave."

Draco was silent for a moment in shock. Then he woke up. "No... No... Hermione. I have to get to--" He attempted again to get away.

Lucius still kept hold on him. "She's fine. If she's so smart, she's found her way out of the passage by now. You can't risk your own life--" He stopped as Draco again tried to get out of his father's grip.

"Draco! I am _not _losing my only son!"

All of the sudden, Draco stopped fighting back and was utterly silent. "You're... You're right. I'm sure she's out already."

With that, the two ran towards the trapdoor as well, evading falling chunks of the building as they went.

The two were almost out of the building when Draco spotted Shaylee struggling to make it up the shaking staircase to his father's office.

"Professor!" he yelled over the din of the collapsing building. "You have to get out now!"

He heard her yell something, but couldn't quite make out what.

He looked up at his father, then started up the stairs to Shaylee. Lucius groaned, but followed his son, meeting a determined Shaylee halfway up the stairs. He looked around and saw that the entire building was only moments from crumbling, took hold of both Draco and Shaylee, and apparated to the back lawn where the other survivors were.

He felt the ground under his feet and the cold breeze brushing his face and then... Lucius Malfoy passed out. Apparating with two extra people is not an easy feat, after all.

Draco knelt down to make sure his father still had a pulse and was breathing, then quickly ran off to the front lawn where Hermione should be waiting.

Ministy officials were there also, though however Dumbledore got them there thatquickly was a mystery. They were quickly rounding up the few remaining Death Eaters/walruses for their trip to Azkaban.

With all that was going on (whether it was Molly's rather large scolding to Harry and Ron, or Lucius being woken up and placed in magical handcuffs), Shaylee did nothing. She took no notice of any of the happenings in the Malfoys' back yard. All she could do was stare at Lucius Malfoy's wing of the Manor as it fell to the ground.

A tear appeared in her eye, followed by several others. A sobbing moan soon joined her tears. "No... Sevvy..."


	57. Good News and Bad News

Disclaimer: Other than working at a fabulous gas station, my job seems to be driving my little sisters everywhere they need to go (school, birthday parties, to and from my 2 parents' houses, etc.) JK Rowling does not drive my little sisters around. Nor does she work at the BP in "Corntopia, Indiana." I do, unfortunately, so I can't possibly be her.

AN: Spring Break is over... Sorry, but you likely won't be getting 5 chapters in one week anymore. I'll get it over and done with soon tho.

* * *

Molly Weasley was counting heads, constantly needing to restart because of the movement and commotion.

Harry and Sirius were joking loudly, Ron had gone into the forest to locate his and Harry's brooms, and Draco and Hermione were apart from the others, whispering quietly to each other.

Dumbledore also studied the others. Something was nagging at his mind, but he couldn't think of what. He saw Molly worriedly recounting, as if she'd come up one short. Turning, he also noticed a lone shaking figure staring at the remains of the ruint building.

'Severus,' he realized. He immediately started walking to the pile of brick and cement.

"All who are able, follow me!" he yelled as he walked. "Severus is still inside."

Sirius looked up, his mouth gaping open. He hesitated as he seriously considered faking an injury, but the sight of Shaylee's stoic position prompted him to follow Dumbledore.

Dumbledore stopped as he reached Professor Weasley. "Shaylee, I'll have Molly take you back to Hogwarts to get your arm mended."

Shaylee shook her head. "I can't leave yet, Albus. I have to wait." Her eyes pleaded and after a few moments, Dumbledore relented.

"Molly, stay here with Shaylee and make sure she doesn't strain her arm."

Molly nodded, pulling Shaylee into a soft and comforting embrace. "Oh, dear... It'll all be fine, just you wait and see."

Dumbledore led the way as every person in the yard other than Shaylee and Molly joined him to help.

The adults began byvanishing the largest pieces of stone. Hermione followed their lead, but Draco, Ron and Harry, who hadn't mastered vanishing yet, helped by levitating the bricks and cement to another section of the lawn.

The task was time-consuming; every stone had to be vanished individually.

Two hours had passed before a shout echoed through the silent yard. "Found him!" Sirius called. Shaylee, who had been steadily losing all hope, perked up and started towards him, but was stopped by her Aunt Molly. "No, dear. Let's just wait a few more moments."  
The workers cleared the rest of the remaining rubble off of Severus. Dumbledore knelt down very briefly, then said, "We need to get him to St. Mungo's. Now." His eyes met Shaylee's for a split second, then he disappeared with Severus.

'St. Mungo's,' Shaylee thought. 'St. Mungo's means he's still alive…' She almost collapsed from relief and exhaustion, but was steadied by her aunt.

"Yes, yes… Let's get you back to school now and see if we can't fix that arm."

* * *

It was one in the morning by the time Harry, Ron, Arthur and Molly returned to the Burrow. Walking in, the first thing they spotted was Ginny sitting on her mother's dinner chair, her eyes still glued to the clock.

Mrs. Weasley sighed as she followed her gaze. "Do try to get some sleep, everyone. We'll talk more about it in the morning." She patted Ginny's back sympathetically as she passed.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left the room and Ron looked at Harry quizzically, but Harry shook his head. Ron quickly turned and went up the stairs, leaving the two alone.

"Ginny?" Harry turned a chair around and straddled it, pulling Ginny close to him.

She was silent, so Harry continued. "Ginny, I am so sorry. I should have told you."

Ginny's head snapped back and she looked at him. She had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes.

"Yes, you should have told me. But it wouldn't have helped." She rose from the table angrily.

"Ginny, I had to go. Hermione needed--"

"Yes, I know. You had to go fight the big bad You-Know-Who," she interrupted sarcastically, pulling away as he tried touching her arm.

"Voldemort barely even showed up, and when he did, Dumbledore scared him off!" Harry defended.

"It doesn't even matter, OK, Harry? I can't stand this! There's too much worrying; it's going to drive me crazy!"

"I can't change who I am, Ginny."

Ginny breathed in slowly, hesitated, and said, "I know you're always going to be the Boy Who Lived, and you'll have to deal with this until you defeat You-Know-Who. And there's nothing I want more than to be your girlfriend… Your's. Harry's."

She paused. "But I don't think I can handle being the Boy Who Lived's girlfriend."

The two were silent, then Harry said, comprehending, "You're breaking up with me."

Ginny nodded and turned to the stairs. "Good night, Harry."

"Wait, Ginny, I–"

"Good night, Harry."

* * *

Everyone had left. Draco and Hermione were the only ones outside Malfoy Manor.

"So what do we do now?" Hermione asked.

Draco sighed and pulled her close. He smelled her hair, kissed her neck and ran a finger lovingly up and down her spine.

"Um… Draco? Did you hear my question?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked what we're going to do now."

"Oh, um… Be happy that you're alive?"

Hermione giggled as his kisses started tickling her neck. "As much as I'd love to be happy with you in your back yard, I think we should probably go inside."

"Oh, really?" Draco looked intrigued by this idea.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not like that, you pervert. We need to find your mother. I don't think she's at home, otherwise she would have noticed part of her house falling down."

Draco sighed, relinquishing his hold on her. "OK, I suppose we should find mother." He took her hand and they walked around the house to the front door.

As they walked, Draco asked, "Did you want to stay here for the rest of vacation?"

Hermione shrugged, then answered, "I really don't want to go back to school yet."

"Yes, but there are other places we could go."

"Like?"

"Well, if the Weasleys don't mind, we could go there." He paused, then added, "I need to apologize to them."

Hermione secretly smiled and squeezed her boyfriend's hand.

"Or... we could go to your place..." Draco added nonchalantly.

The pair halted in front of the door and Hermione gave him a huge hug. "Oh, Draco!" She pulled away and looked at him with a grin. "So you aren't scared?"

Draco scoffed. "Me? Draco Malfoy? Afraid of meeting his girlfriend's parents? I should think not!"

She kissed him lightly. "I think we should contact Mrs. Weasley in the morning and ask. We can go to my house over Easter. That would give me enough time to explain everything to them."

"I thought you were making me explain," Draco said as he opened the door.

"I decided I didn't want to give my brother a chance to kill you before you could explain anything," Hermione chided as the two entered the house.

"How thoughtful of you!" Draco said sarcastically, kissing her neck again.

Hermione gently elbowed his gut, hearing something. Draco also paused and listened.

They could hear faint footsteps upstairs. "Maybe she_is_ here..."

The two looked up at the staircase and spotted Narcissa Malfoy hurrying down the hallway. She halted as she saw Draco and Hermione.

"Oh, Draco!" She rushed down the stairs, her arms outstretched. "I was so worried about you!"

She pulled her son into a hug. Draco hugged her back awkwardly.

"Have you been here the whole time?" he asked, pulling away.

"Of course! I couldn't leave after I learned about the meeting tonight. I was waiting for so long, and then I got the letter from the Ministry about Lucius..."

Narcissa sighed, then softly patted Hermione's cheek. "I'm so relieved nothing happened to you, dear."

"Why didn't you come outside after father's wing collapsed?" Draco interrupted. "Professor Snape was hurt. We could have used your help."

Narcissa looked slightly troubled that Severus had been injured, but defended herself, saying, "I couldn't go out there! Those people hate me! They think I'm just like…" She trailed off.

Draco shook his head. "No, mother. They don't think you're just like father. They pity the fact that you've lived with him for the past eighteen years, but they don't think you're just like him."

Narcissa blinked to hide her emerging tears. "You two had best be getting to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She smiled blearily. "Maybe we can make breakfast together tomorrow."

Draco grinned at the thought of his mother cooking. "We may need Hermione's help."

Narcissa agreed with a smile.

"Good night, mother." Draco kissed Narcissa on the cheek and led Hermione up the stairs.

"Good night, Narcissa," Hermione echoed with a smile.

"Yes, good night dears. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Shaylee was lying in bed in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, staring at the ceiling. She felt her arm tingling, still mending itself.

'How can a man be trapped under Lord knows how many pounds of rubble for two hours and then come out alive? Sevvy is one lucky bastard. You'd think he's Irish or something,' she mused.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Dumbledore walked into the Hospital Wing.

She looked up at him and noticed he was carrying a teddy bear. _Her _teddy bear, as a matter of fact.

"I've informed Cecilia and her children," Dumbledore began, handing her Mr. Teddy. "Ms. Snape wants me to let you know they don't blame you for this in any way."

Shaylee nodded, noticing that he started with the reassuring news. "What about Severus?" she prodded.

Dumbledore sighed. "Severus is an extremely lucky man, Shaylee." Shaylee nodded with relief, but waited for him to continue.

"There was an extremely large desk in the same room as Severus. It was enchanted so that it would not break, even under tremendous amounts of pressure, and it would not open unless Lucius himself opened it. The desk stopped the largest piece of the building from reaching Severus, though he was still bombarded with other bricks and rocks. If it weren't for this desk, however, Severus would surely not be alive."

Shaylee nodded and said with an ironic smile, "So the thing that broke my arm saved his life..."

Dumbledore nodded. "I must warn you, though, Shaylee. He is not in great condition. Many bones in his body were broken in multiple places. His bones are being fixed as we speak, but he is in a coma."

Shaylee's eyes widened. "Do they know when he'll wake up?"

Dumbledore sadly shook his head. "There is no way to tell. It could be hours. It could be years. It could be never."

Shaylee bit her bottom lip as she nodded. "Thank you for telling me, Professor. I think I'll go to sleep now."

Dumbledore nodded and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Sleep well, Shaylee."

Shaylee curled up in bed with Mr. Teddy. As soon as Dumbledore was out of the room, she again started crying.

* * *

Draco awoke the next morning with a smile on his face. He stretched, swinging his legs out of bed.

He walked to his dresser, then decided he would go down to breakfast in his pajamas. His father wasn't here anymore; it wasn't going to hurt anyone.

He went out to the hallway and knocked on Hermione's door. When she didn't answer, he assumed she was still asleep and needed to recuperate from last night. He continued on toward the kitchen to find his mom.

He stopped mid-step when he entered the kitchen. His mother was already in there, wearing a long nightgown with a robe over it. Hermione was with her in casual Muggle clothing. They were studying an unused cookbook and looked up as he entered.

Noticing his sleepy attire, the two smiled secretly at each other and Hermione giggled softly.

"What?" Draco asked, coming over to kiss both of the women in his life good morning.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione replied innocently.

Narcissa smiled at her son as he kissed her cheek. "We were just talking and Hermione said that you would likely be in your pajamas this morning as well."

Draco grinned at this. "Well, she does know everything, after all."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and swatted his arm playfully.

"We're trying to make omelettes."

Draco nodded. "You need eggs."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We know that, genius."

"Well, then, you're on your own; that's all I know about omelettes."

Narcissa laughed at their bickering and began to gather items from the refrigerator. Hermione talked as she sorted out the proper amounts. "I've told your mother about our plan to visit the Weasleys until school starts next week."

Narcissa nodded. "It's a wonderful idea, Draco. I'll miss you, of course, but I do understand."

"I've already written Mrs. Weasley. I should be getting a response soon."

Draco grinned and listened to their talking. He was relieved that he was one of the few men alive who could say his girlfriend got along with his mother.

* * *

Yes, yes... I know I'm pointlessly rambling about stuff... I could end the fic now if that's what y'all would prefer. But I wouldn't be able to rest until I fix everything I broke.(hmmm... I wonder who-- I mean what that could be...)R/R please! 


	58. Not so Happy New Year

Disclaimer: I have disappeared off the face of the earth for a few months. If I were JK Rowling, you'd know where I was and what I was doing.

AN: While typing this, I was in Kentucky at my aunt's house and she has a weird keyboard and I made lots of mistakes. I tried to proofread, but I may have missed some. The spacebar was the most annoying, so if you see a really long word that doesn't make sense, try to break it up into smaller words.

AN2: New Years Eve + depressed Irish chick drinking. Sorry if people drinking alone offends you. Oh,and the 1st scene is kinda choppy. I tried to fix it, but kept making it worse. Sorry.

* * *

Hermione emerged from the fireplace in the Burrow and dusted her clothes off.

Mrs. Weasley looked up from the stove and smiled widely. "Hermione's here!" she called brightly and rushed to envelope her in a hug.

Draco then stumbled from the fireplace and Molly also swept him into her embrace.

"We're so pleased to have both of you here, even if it _is _only for a few days."

There was thumping coming down the stairs and Ron appeared with a giant grin. "Mum, let go of them before they choke."

Molly released the two, then Ron also swept Hermione into a brief hug. "Glad you could come, 'Mione. You _really_ need to talk to my sister."

"Now, Ronald..." Mrs. Weasley warned, her eyes narrowed at him.

Ron shrugged. He clapped Draco on the back. "You'll be bunking with me and Harry. It shouldn't be too crowded. I'll show you where it is."

The two boys disappeared up the stairs.

"Ginny should be in her room, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Hermione as she turned back to her cooking. "Let her know dinner will be done soon."

Hermione nodded and made her way up to Ginny's room.

* * *

Draco was almost blinded as he walked into Ron's completely orange room.

He spotted Harry lying on his stomach on a fold-out bed. "Hey, Harry," he greeted.

Harry continued staring at the wall and barely grunted in response.

Draco looked at Ron for an explanation. Ron looked very uncomfortable and murmured softly, "Erm... Him and Ginny got in a bit of a... spat."

Draco was nodding when a pillow came from Harry's general area and pelted Ron's shoulder.

"Sod off."

"Harry, I'm just telling him what happened. I'm not blaming it on you; it's not your fault my sister's nutty."

Harry looked up at his best friend. "Don't insult her."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever, mate."

Harry laid his head back on his pillow and looked sideways at Draco. "Is Hermione with her?"

He nodded and Harry sighed. "Great. Now every female I know will hate me."

"Hermione won't hate you," Draco reassured him as he sat on Ron's bed.

"And neither does my mum. She's very sympathetic," added Ron.

"What happened between you two anyway?" Draco asked.

Harry paused, but then launched into the story.

When he finished, Draco was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"So basically," he began, "she hates you for--"

"Being himself," Ron finished. "I'm telling you, she's nutty!"

"She is not!" Harry sat up to defend his ex-girlfriend. "She's wonderful."

Ron groaned and plopped down beside Draco. "You know, Harry, you may be right. _You're _the one who's nutty."

Draco nodded his agreement and Harry glared at them.

"Sorry, mate, but she had you whipped. It's cruel to dump a whipped boyfriend."

Harry sighed and fell back on his bed. "Yeah… You're right…"

* * *

Hermione knocked shortly on Ginny's door before entering.

"Hey, Gin," she greeted as she walked in. She halted mid-step as she saw Ginny curled up on her bed, staring at the music box Harry had given her only days earlier.

"Uh oh… What's going on?"

Ginny looked up. "Oh, hi Hermione."

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she pulled her luggage to the end of Ginny's bed.

Ginny was silent for a few moments, then summarized the story, "Harry and I broke up."

Hermione was silent, but nodded.

Ginny sat up to make room for Hermione to sit, which she did.

"You wanna talk about it?" Hermione asked, not wanting to intrude if Ginny didn't want her there.

Ginny sighed. "I just… I hated having a boyfriend who was in danger all of the time. If something ever happened…" She shook her head. "I just don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

Hermione took her hand. "Ginny, I don't want you to think I don't support you, because I do. But, it seems like you've lost him anyway."

Ginny closed her eyes and nodded. A few tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, Ginny, I didn't mean to--"

"No, no," Ginny interrupted. "You're absolutely right." She wiped the tears from her eyes angrily. "I am such a bitch."

"Ginny, don't say that."

"No, I am. Harry's miserable. He's completely silent during meals. And Ron shoots me these hateful glares whenever he sees me." She laughed bitterly. "I can do more damage than You-Know-Who."

Hermione's mouth turned slightly upward. "Don't say that too loudly. He may try to recruit you," she joked.

Ginny started to smile, but then froze. "Oh, Hermione. I'm so selfish! Here I am complaining about Harry going into danger, and it was you he was trying to save! I am so sorry!"

"No, Ginny. It's fine. You were just worried about your boyfriend."

Ginny nodded and laid back sideways on her bed.

"You know you're like my sister, 'Mione, and it's nothing against you personally, but I just don't understand why he always has to save people."

"I worry about him too, Ginny. He's one of my best friends."

"Yeah, I kn--"

"DINNER'S READY!" The twins' voices traveled up the stairs.

"I'm going to wait a minute," Ginny said as Hermione stood up. "I don't want to run into him on the stairs."

Hermione nodded. "Do you want me to wait with you?"

"No, I'm not going to keep you from your friends. But thanks."

Hermione nodded and started towards the door. She turned the knob, then turned back to face Ginny. "You know _you're _my friend too, right?"

Ginny smiled and nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Harry was walking down the stairs glumly with Draco and Ron as he was attacked by Hermione, who had just come out of Ginny's room.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so glad to see you!" Hermione pulled away from him. "Are you OK?"

Harry gave a small smile and nodded. "I'm glad you're okay, 'Mione."

The group entered the kitchen to see the twins (who had apparently lurked over Mrs. Weasley until dinner was done) sitting impatiently at the table and Mrs. Weasley taking a package from an owl at the window. She looked confused as she read the label.

She looked up at the occupants of the kitchen. "Where's Ginny? She has a package."

"She said she'd be down in a minute," Hermione answered as everyone sat down.

"GINNY!" the twins yelled, leaning back in their chairs for better projection up the stairs. "You've got mail!"

Hermione held back a laugh, as she knew no one else would understand the Muggle reference to AOL.

Moments later, Ginny appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking puzzled.

"Who is it from?" she asked as she walked to her mother. She looked even more confused as she was handed a box wrapped in brown paper.

"It's from Delphina's House of Fine Antiques." Ginny paused, but then tore the brown paper off,revealing a slim white box with a gold tag on it.

She turned the box to read the tag, then looked up at Harry.

Harry flinched as one of the twins kicked his leg.

"Who's it from?" George asked in an overly chipper voice.

"Harry... Gifts aren't going to work," Ginny finally said.

Harry's face was blank. "But, I didn't--"

"Open it!" Fred cut him off.

"There should be a slip inside that says when it was ordered," George added.

Ginny hesitated, but then slit the box open with her fingernail.

She pulled out a very thin object wrapped in white tissue paper with a piece of paper tied to it.

"Ordered December 27th. Delivered December 31st," she readout loud.Ginny looked up at Harry again.

"See?" Fred said. "It was ordered before all this happened and they just sent it today."

"Well?" Mrs. Weasley prompted as she sat a soup pot on a hot pad. "Are you going to open it?"

"You might as well," Hermione added.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her and Hermione held back a smile.

Ginny sighed and gingerly removed the tissue paper to reveal a delicate-looking golden lily.

Hereyes widened as she ran her fingers over the authentic gold.

"The lily _is _your favorite flower," George pointed out as he snitched a bit of roast beef from the pan.

"I'm fully aware of that," Ginny snapped at him.

Mrs. Weasley moved closer to inspect the gilded flower.

"Why, I saw this in the window of Delphina's weeks ago and thought of you, Ginny." Molly patted her daughter's shoulder. "But it was more than a week of your father's wages. I do wish I had 200 Galleons to spend on you though, dear."

Ginny's mouth dropped open and comprehension dawned on Harry. '200 Galleons… That's why the twins keep kicking me.'

"200 Galleons?" Ginny screeched. "I can't accept this, Harry. Take it back and get a refund."

"No, it's yours. I'm not taking it back." Harry refused to take the flower from Ginny.

The room was silent for a few moments, then Ginny broke it by clearing her throat and saying, "I'm not really hungry, mum. I'll eat later, though."

She made eye contact with her mother and Mrs. Weasley nodded. "I'll save you a plate."

Ginny walked back towards the stairs and paused while passing Harry's chair. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry turned to look at her. "You're welcome, Gin." He looked in her eyes and sighed when she flinched and broke eye contact.

* * *

Shaylee bent and twisted her arm as she walked out of the hospital wing.

It was as good as new. That's more than could be said about Severus. His bones were still being mended and he had yet to wake up.

Shaylee entered her office and halted in the door. Everything had been returned from Cecilia's house. Her bean bag sat in the corner as usual and her miniature dancing fairy turned pirouettes on her desk. The Phantom of the Opera was lying on the bean bag.

Shayleeclosed her door, sighing,and went to her desk. She unlocked the bottom right drawer and took out a half-empty bottle of whiskey.

She plopped down on her bean bag, set Mr. Teddy down beside her and ran her fingers over the cover of The Phantom of the Opera.

She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Sighing, she opened her bottle and raised it in salute to the empty room, then took a long swig.

"Happy New Year, Sev."


End file.
